Egypt will re-nominate Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to the position of Arab League secretary-general for a second five-year term, diplomatic sources told Saudi owned Al-Sharq news website on Monday.

The incumbent Aboul-Gheit will end his tenure, which started in 2016, in June.

The new holder of the position is likely to be determined in the next summit scheduled for March.

The Egyptian nomination will be sent within days to be presented during the anticipated summit, according to the sources.

The sources said that if the summit could not be held as scheduled because of the coronavirus, which was the case with last year’s Algeria summit, the nominations will be decided by the Arab foreign ministers in a meeting of the League Council before 30 June.

Aboul-Gheit was nominated by Egypt for the position in 2016, succeeding the former Egyptian secretary-general Nabil El-Arbi.

Aboul-Gheit served as Egypt’s foreign minister from July 2004 till March 2011.

Since the establishment of the Arab League in 1945, the position of secretary-general has been held by Egypt, except for the period from 1979 to 1990, when the post went to Tunisia.

Seven Egyptian foreign ministers have assumed the office.