Abdullah Bishara
| Abdullah Bishara | |
|---|---|
| عبد الله بشارة | |
| Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council | |
|
In office 26 May 1981 – April 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Fahim bin Sultan Qasimi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Abdullah Yaccoub Bishara 6 November 1936 Kuwait |
| Nationality | Kuwaiti |
| Children | Two |
| Alma mater |
Cairo University St John's University |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Abdullah Yaccoub Bishara (Arabic: عبد الله يعقوب بشارة; born 6 November 1936) is a Kuwaiti diplomat and statesman, who was the first secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Early life and education
Bishara was born on 6 November 1936.[1][2] He graduated from Cairo University in 1959.[2][3] He attended Balliol College, Oxford University, and studied diplomacy and international relations.[4] Later he earned a master's degree in political science from St. John's University in the United States.[4]
Career
Bishara worked as a teacher from 1959 to 1961.[3] Then he joined foreign ministry of Kuwait and served as second secretary for political affairs at Kuwait's embassy in Tunisia from 1963 to 1964.[3] From 1964 to 1971 he was the director of the office of the minister of foreign affairs in Kuwait.[3] Then he was appointed Kuwait's permanent representative to the United Nations, and served in this post from 1971 to 1981.[2][3]
Bishara was the first secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) where he served from 26 May 1981 to April 1993.[1][5][6] His assistant secretaries at GCC were Saif bin Hashil Al Maskari from Oman and Abdullah Ibrahim Al Kuwaiz from Saudi Arabia.[7] Maskari was responsible for political affairs while Kuwaiz was in charge of economic matters.[7] Bishara resigned from office in the late 1992, and his resignation was accepted at the GCC summit held in Abu Dhabi in December 1992.[8] An Emirati diplomat Fahim bin Sultan Qasimi replaced him as secretary-general of the GCC.[9]
In 1997, Bishara retired from civil service.[10] However, at the beginning of the 2000s he served as a senior advisor to then Kuwaiti Prime Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed.[11] During the same period he was also Kuwait's member on the GCC advisory committee and an advisor in the Gulf affairs department at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2] He was also named president of diplomatic centre for strategic studies.[4] He is the coordinator of the Kuwaiti – British friendship society.[4] In addition, Bishara became a board member and an advisor to North Africa Holding (NorAH) in 2006.[4]
Personal life
Bishara is married and has two children.[4] He is the author of various books.[2] He also publishes articles in different newspapers.[12]
References
- 1 2 "Bishara, Abdullah". Rulers. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "GCC strategy on Iran". WikiLeaks. 5 February 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Abdullah Yaccoub Bishara". Gale Encyclopedia of Biography. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Board of Directors". North Africa Holding Company. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ↑ Habib Toumi (29 November 2009). "Oman endorses Al Mutawa". Gulf News. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ Bob Reinalda; Kent Kille (21 August 2012). "Biographical Dictionary of Secretaries-General of International Organizations" (PDF). IO BIO Database.
- 1 2 John Christie (July–August 1990). "GCC. The Next Decade". Saudi Aramco World 41 (4). Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ↑ Malcolm C. Peck (12 April 2010). The A to Z of the Gulf Arab States. Scarecrow Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-8108-7636-1. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ "GCC agrees to bolster joint force". New Straits Times (Abu Dhabi). 25 December 1992. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ↑ "Profiles". ECSSR. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ↑ "Shaykh Sabah's Ambitious Agenda". Wikileaks. 22 November 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ↑ "The New Plan". Arab Times. Retrieved 16 March 2013.