Mohammed Kamel Amr Named Egypt Foreign Minister

Cairo (ANTARA/AFP) - Mohammed Kamel Amr, a former senior diplomat who has worked at the World Bank, was appointed Egypt's new foreign minister on Sunday, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf announced on his Facebook page. The appointment to replace Mohammed al-Orabi comes as part of a sweeping cabinet shuffle aimed at appeasing protesters angry at the slow pace of reform since the February ouster of president Hosni Mubarak. Amr said following his appointment that the priority would be to enhance Egypt's pivotal role in the Arab world. "Egypt is at the heart of the Arab world. What happens in Egypt will affect (other countries). If Egypt moves forward, the Arab world moves forward," Amr told the official MENA news agency. The top diplomat was previously Egypt's ambassador to Saudi Arabia and has worked at its embassy in Washington. He also represented Egypt in several African Organisations and the World Bank, MENA said. Late on Saturday, Sharaf said he had accepted the resignation of Orabi -- criticised for being close to Mubarak -- amid pressure to rid the cabinet of old regime figures.