Delivered by H.E. Mr. Amre Moussa at the Institute of Directors
Sir Michael Weir was the founding Chairman in 1990 of the British Egyptian Society and continued until 2006 when he handed over to The Rt. Hon Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, shortly before his death. Our annual Flagship lecture is a tribute to Sir Michael and to Lady Weir who were liked and admired by friends in Egypt and the United Kingdom. Previous lecturers have been Lord Patten, Sir Magdi Yacoub, Sir Sherard Cowper Coles, Sir Derek Plumbly, Dr. Mostafa Hegazy and Sir Dominic Asquith
This year’s event was given by a highly respected Egyptian politician and Presidential candidate. H.E. Mr Amre Moussa became involved in Egypt’s foreign policy from 1958, serving as Egypt’s ambassador to the United Nations, India and Switzerland for a total of 21 years. He was Egypt’s Foreign Minister from 1991 to 2001 and then became Secretary General of the Arab League, stepping down in 2011. He has been critical of Israel’s policies towards Gaza and the West Bank and of Western Nations for not recognising the results of the 2006 Palestinian Election. Few have Mr. Moussa’s extensive knowledge of all aspects of Middle Eastern politics or are more recognizable and admired on the International stage.
