Egyptian-French Parliamentary Friendship supports Khattab

CAIRO – 8 October 2017: Egyptian-French Parliamentary Friendship Association declared its support to Ambassador Moushira Khattab, a candidate for the post of UNESCO director-general, for her diplomatic history and her experience in many UNESCO fields.

The association led by member of House of Representatives Ayman Aboul Ela issued a statement on Sunday to express its support for Khattab during the election. It also thanked all the brotherly African and Arab countries especially Iraq, which has drawn its candidate for Khattab to win.

It called upon France to follow the same steps of Iraq and to show solidarity towards the Egyptian candidate, referring that introducing a French candidate for the UNESCO post is incomprehensible.

There have been tacit agreements for 15 years that France will not introduce candidates for the UNESCO post and that the post would be assigned to Arab states, which have never assumed the post.

Eight candidates are competing for the post, including Egypt's Khattab, Lebanese official candidate Vera Khoury, who has been working for UNESCO for 20 years; former Qatari Minister of Culture Hamad Abdul Aziz al-Kawari, adviser to the Emir of Qatar for cultural affairs; and French Audrey Azoulay.

The person to be nominated by the Executive Board shall be chosen through a secret ballot, during a vote that will take place during the board's 202nd session on October 9, 2017.