WASHINGTON, 1 November — Alfred Atherton, Jr., 80, a US Foreign Service officer and Middle East expert, and architect of the 1978 Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel, died on Wednesday in Washington, following complications during cancer surgery.
Highly respected throughout the Middle East, Atherton was ambassador to Egypt from 1979 to 1983, over what was then the largest US diplomatic mission in the world.
As a negotiator in the Middle East peace process, he is remembered, “to have been able to understand and articulate the historic grievances of Israelis and Palestinians and had the trust of both sides,” noted yesterday’s Washington Post.
“The most memorable attribute about the ambassador was not only his wisdom but his balanced and highly ethical approach to the depressing problems of his Middle East portfolio,” Les Janka, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East affairs, who worked closely with the ambassador, told Arab News. “His great humanitarian instincts were never far behind his political skills. An entire generation of younger American diplomats has lost a beloved mentor.”
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter named his ambassador-at-large for Middle East negotiations, and he became one of Washington’s first “air shuttle diplomats” in the Middle East.
