VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #0583 0641256
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051256Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0160
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3845

UNCLAS CAIRO 000583 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNGA PINR EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN NAMED TO SENIOR UN MANAGEMENT POST; BIO 
DATA 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please handle accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (U) A senior Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
official, Mohamed Shaaban, has been named by UN Secretary 
General Ban Ki-Moon as the Under Secretary General for 
General Assembly and Conference Management.  Shaaban had most 
recently served as Egypt's National Coordinator for Reform 
Initiatives within the MFA, focused mainly on the Broader 
Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) portfolio. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Post has generally found Ambassador Shaaban 
unhelpful and dogmatic, with a mandate to stymie U.S., 
European, and G-8 efforts in the BMENA context.  Shaaban was 
the GOE's point-person for planning an Egyptian-hosted G-8 
and Arab League ministerial scheduled for March 2004, which 
the Secretary ultimately declined to attend.  Shaaban's 
performance at BMENA conferences is characterized by his 
negativity, his opposition to meaningful NGO participation, 
and by his lawyerly efforts to gut the BMENA programs of 
their substantive impact. 
 
¶3.  (U) Text of MFA-provided C.V. for Ambasssador Shaaban: 
Muhammad Shaaban, Under-Secretary-General for General 
Assembly and Conference Management. 
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the 
appointment of Ambassador Muhammad Shaaban of Egypt as 
Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference 
Management.  Mr. Shaaban currently serves as National 
Coordinator for Reform Initiatives in the Middle East and he 
has been Personal Assistant to the Foreign Minister of Egypt 
since 2004. 
 
Mr. Shaaban is a seasoned diplomat who is no stranger to the 
UN and multilateral diplomacy. He served as Assistant Foreign 
Minister for European Affairs (2001-2004). In his capacity, 
he was National Coordinator for the Euro-Mediterranean 
Partnership, the Mediterranean Forum and the OSCE. He also 
served as Assistant Minister for Information, Research and 
Assessment (2000-2001) and National Coordinator for 
Information, Research and Assessment (2000-2001). 
He served as Egypt,s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark 
and Lithuania (1998-2000) and Ambassador to Belgium, 
Luxembourg and Head of Egypt,s Permanent Mission to the 
European Union, Brussels (1993-1997). Between 1997 and 1998, 
he was Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs, in 
charge of coordinating and managing the country,s relations 
with African states and the different regional organizations 
in Africa.  He was chief negotiator for Egypt in the 
negotiations on Egypt,s accession to the Common Market for 
Eastern and Southern Africa. 
Between 1984 and 1988, Mr. Shaaban was Egypt,s 
representative to the Second Committee, ECOSOC, UNDP and 
various intergovernmental bodies and committees.  He was the 
Coordinator of the Group of 77 when Egypt held the Presidency 
(1985-1986).  He was the Spokesman of the African Group 
during the 13th Special Session on the Critical Economic 
Situation in Africa. 
Since 2004, Mr. Shaaban has served as National Coordinator 
for Reform Initiatives in the Middle East, managing relations 
with different foreign partners and coordinating with 
Egyptian governmental departments, political parties, civil 
society, and think tanks.  In this capacity, he provided 
advice to the Foreign Minister on various issues, including 
on the restructuring of the Foreign Ministry.  He is also 
Diplomatic Adviser to the Egyptian Parliament Speaker.  In 
March 2005, he was the Coordinator-General of the First 
Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, 
which was attended by some 600 Euro-Mediterranean 
parliamentarians. 
Mr. Shaaban was born on 13 June 1942.  He holds a Ph.D in 
Political Science and an M.A. in International Relations from 
Brussels University.  He is fluent in English and French and 
has fair knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish.  He is married 
with three children. 
 
End text of C.V. 
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