Boutros Ghali, Boutros

Boutros Ghali, Boutros (b. 14 Nov. 1922). UN Secretary-General 1992–7 From one of the best-known Egyptian families, he studied jurisprudence and political science and in 1948 received a doctorate from the Sorbonne University. He was appointed professor of international law at Cairo University, and as editor of a number of journals he became a well-respected observer of public affairs. After the Six Day War in 1967 he advocated reconciliation between Israel and Egypt, and in 1977 President Sadat appointed him Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry, where he became one of the principal architects of the Camp David Peace Accord of 1978. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in May 1991, seven months before his election to become the first UN Secretary-General from the African continent and from an Arab country. He was a strong advocate of the unsuccessful UN intervention in the Somali Civil War in 1992. Thereafter, regional conflicts in the Bosnian Civil War, Cambodia, Haiti, and Rwanda stretched the UN's military and financial resources to the limit, leading him to propose an independent task force under his command. He was increasingly criticized for his partiality, not least by the US, who led the opposition against his reappointment. He was succeeded by Kofi Annan, and became the Secretary-General of the Community of Francophone Countries.