Ismail Fahmi was an Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian diplomat and politician. He served as an Egyptian ambassador to Austria - 1968-1971, Egyptian tourism minister - 1973, Egyptian foreign minister - 1973-1977, deputy prime minister of Egypt - 1975-1977. He was awarded to professorship. He resigned from the government in 1977 to protest Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem. He was sharply critical of Sadat’s policies and decision making.

Early career

He was born in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

. He served as an Egyptian diplomat at the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

. He was an intelligent, able, assertive, self-confident and articulate diplomat. He was an activist and a tough negotiator.

After serving as an Egyptian diplomat to the UN, he was appointed as an Egyptian ambassador to Austria between 1968 and 1971. Mr. Fahmy, a career diplomat, came to attention of Sadat at a symposium in Egypt. His arguments about the Egyptian military action against Israel, re-evolution and reshaping of Egyptian- Soviet relationships, closer contact with the US and the involvement with both Moscow and Washington in solving the Middle East conflict impressed Sadat, who appointed Fahmi a Foreign Minister after 1973 October War.

Foreign Minister of Egypt 1973-1977

He started his new job with enthusiasm. He decided to keep lines of communication open between Egypt and Soviet Union. However Mr Fahmy recounts certain events in which he was directly involved: his first encounters with Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon; his participation in talks leading to the Egyptian-Israeli disengagement agreements of 1974 and 1975. He reluctantly supported the first agreement and opposed to the second. He met with both US and Soviet foreign ministers. According to Fahmi, “Kissinger is highly intelligent but he has tendency to manipulate people”. Fahmi stated that “Zbigniew Brzezinski was professor at heart inclined to lecture experienced diplomat”. When Sadat decided to visit Jerusalem, he reacted to the decision with these words:
Furthermore he argued Sadat could not demonstrate any proof that Israelis would respond to his move with comparable good will. After Sadat’s visit he resigned from his post.

Later career

After that incident he continued to write books and articles about the peacemaking activities in the Middle East. His best known book was “Negotiating for Peace in the Middle East: An Arab View”. Many years he worked as an academician in Egypt. He died in 1997.