Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali Dies

Boutros-Ghali, who served as the United Nation’s sixth secretary-general, died in Cairo, a UN spokesman said.

The UN Security Council announced Boutros-Ghali’s death this morning, after which its 15 members stood in silence for a minute as a mark of respect to the departed soul.

Boutros-Ghali, who had a reputation for being proud and prickly, also took on the daunting task of reorganizing the United Nations bureaucracy by slashing posts and demoting officials at a pace that earned him the nickname “the pharaoh”.

Secretary General said that during his predecessor’s functions, he presided over a dramatic United Nations peacekeeping. Ban later made a brief appearance before reporters at the United Nations, calling Boutros-Ghali “a memorable leader who rendered invaluable services to world peace and worldwide order”.

Mr Boutros-Ghali, from Egypt, served as United Nations chief for only one term but was the first African to head the world body. Two years later, Boutros-Ghali was present at the White House when Israel and Egypt, which had fought four wars in 30 years, signed their monumental peace agreement. Three suspects in the probe were linked to Boutros-Ghali either by family or friendship.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Egypt in January this year, Xi met with 10 people awarded for their outstanding contribution to the China-Egypt friendship, including former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

“But the middle years of this half decade were deeply troubled”, he said.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Boutros-Ghali’s “contribution to worldwide affairs will long be remembered”.

In his farewell speech to the U.N., Boutros-Ghali said he had thought the end of the Cold War would bring a new era for the United Nations.

His grandfather was Egypt’s prime minister until his assassination in 1910.

Later, as an ascendent member of Egypt’s diplomatic class, he garnered seemingly countless academic degrees, including a PhD in worldwide law from the University of Paris, and directed the Centre of Research of the Hague Academy of global Law.

The former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali died at 93, UN spokesperson’s office confirmed on Tuesday.

During that time he oversaw response to several world crises, including the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan Genocide.

The Clinton administration insisted that its decision arose from policy differences with Boutros-Ghali, not personal animosity or politics. He was a well-known lawyer, scholar and professor, the latter including a 1949 to 1977 stint teaching global relations and law at Cairo University. He also was a Coptic Christian from a mainly Muslim country and married an Egyptian Jew, who converted to his religion.