Egypt's former top diplomat Nabil Fahmy named as new chief of Arab League

Arab foreign ministers on Sunday unanimously named former Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy the Arab League's new Secretary General.

Fahmy will be officially approved by Arab leaders at the next summit, set to be held in Saudi Arabia, before starting his five-year term in July.

The former top diplomat, who led Egypt's foreign ministry from June 2013 to July 2014, will become the eighth Egyptian head of the Cairo-based regional bloc, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

The 22-member bloc has only had one non-Egyptian secretary general -- Tunisian Chedli Klibi in the 1980s -- when Egypt was suspended for signing a peace deal with Israel, at the time breaking a regional consensus.

In a statement, Fahmy, 75, said the role was a "great responsibility" to bear, given "the blatant violations of international law perpetrated by aggressors who have treacherously attacked our countries and our security, and by others whose prolonged occupation of our lands have obstructed our brothers from exercising their legitimate rights."

He did not explicitly name Iran or Israel, but his statement echoed his predecessor's line on both.

The Arab League, founded in 1945, is a mostly political forum for Arab countries to discuss and communicate points of consensus.