Egypt names minister for UNESCO leadership

CAIRO, July 30 (Reuters) Egypt has decided to nominate Culture Minister Farouk Hosni for the position of director-general of UNESCO, the cultural agency of the United Nations, a government statement said today.

Hosni, an accomplished abstract painter known for his liberal views, has been in office for close to 20 years and is close to First Lady Suzanne Mubarak.

The statement said the position, now held by Koichiro Matsuura of Japan, would become vacant in 2009 and the nomination process was just starting.

REUTERS PD RAI1900