Background
Mohammed Hafez Ismail was born in November 1919, at Cairo.
Mohammed Hafez Ismail was born in November 1919, at Cairo.
Educated at Cairo, then entered the Military Academy in 1938.
After graduating from the Military Academy in 1939 he quickly impressed his senior officers and was sent to the Chiefs of Staff College, where he came out top of his class in 1944. His prospects were further improved by being sent to England on a Staff College course at Camberley where he passed out with distinction in 1948.
On transfer to the Foreign Ministry he made rapid progress to become Under-Secretary in 1960. He was posted to England as Ambassador in 1964 and returned to Cairo after a year. Next he was assigned as Ambassador to Italy in 1967. From 1968 until April 1970 he was Ambassador to France, returning to Cairo to become Head of Intelligence Services.
One of the first acts of Sadat in November 1970 after succeeding to the presidency on the death of Nasser was to appoint Hafiz Ismail Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs. In March 1971 he became Minister of State for Foreign Affairs when Mahmoud Riad’s authority as Foreign Minister began to decline. When Dr Zayyat, a renowned western-oriented diplomat, took over as Foreign Minister in September 1971 Sadat brought Hafiz Ismail into the President’s office.
His task as adviser on international affairs has not been easy because of the wavering policies of Sadat in the difficult “no peace, no war” situation. He was behind the expulsion of the Soviet military advisers in July 1972 but he has been realistic enough to seek to keep Sadat away from a showdown with the Kremlin which he believes could be almost as costly as a foolhardy adventure against Israel.
In February 1973 he undertook missions for Sadat to Moscow, London and Washington on which great hopes were built for a fresh impetus towards a settlement. That his attempt to secure Big Power involvement in what Sadat called “a new struggle for peace” failed was not his fault. The visit to Washington had the misfortune to follow the shooting of American diplomats by Palestinian guerrillas in Khartoum. More important, the time was not ripe for the US government to help and President Nixon told him not to expect any American initiative for 12 months.
His vigorous anti-Communist views were a strong undercurrent during the period when Murad Ghaleb, former Ambassador in Moscow, succeeded Riad as Foreign Minister.
The Kissinger of Cairo without the vanities—or the chic night-life—of his American counterpart. A steely-eyed expert on international affairs who rose to be President Sadat’s confidant after long experience in Intelligence work and who could well emerge as a tough Prime Minister one day. Grey-haired, stiff- backed as a guardsman and self-assured with a vice-like grip in a handshake.