Mikhail Wehbe (; 27 February 1942 – 12 July 2022) was a Syrian diplomat and former
Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations
The Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations is Syria's foremost diplomatic representative at the United Nations and the head of the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic in New York City.
List of heads of mission
The Perm ...
between 1996 and 2003.
Education
Mikhail Wehbe was born in Damascus in 1942. He graduated from the
Lebanese University
The Lebanese University (LU; ) is the only state-funded public university in Lebanon. It was established in 1951.
The university's main campus was originally located in Beirut, but a few satellite campuses were opened due to travel restriction ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in Political Sciences and Public Administration. He also held a Ph.D. in
International law
International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...
from
Sofia University
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a public university, public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Bulgaria.
Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constr ...
, Bulgaria. He spoke four languages,
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
,
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
and
Bulgarian.
Career
Wehbe served as the first secretary, Geneve, Switzerland, First Secretary, London, United Kingdom, Including as Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
New York, United States of America (1996-2003), Including as Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Geneve, Switzerland ; Chief of the Private Offices Department and Member of the Consultative Council for Administrative and Management Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Syria (1988); Counselor and Minister Counselor of the Syrian Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria (1982–88); and Chief of the Cabinet of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (1979-1982).
During his tenure at the United Nations he served twice as the
President of the United Nations Security Council
The presidency of the United Nations Security Council is responsible for leading the United Nations Security Council. It rotates among the fifteen member-states of the council monthly. The head of the country's delegation is known as the president ...
when Syria was holding a rotating seat at the council, in June 2002 and August 2003. He also served as the Permanent Observer of the
Arab League
The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wehbe, Mikhail
1942 births
2022 deaths
Syrian Christians
People from Damascus
Permanent representatives of Syria to the United Nations
Permanent representatives of Syria to the United Nations Office at Geneva
Sofia University alumni
Lebanese University alumni