President Anwar Sadat of Egypt has fired Foreign Minister Murad Ghaleb and will replace him with Mohammed Hassan Zayyat, Egypt’s former Ambassador to the United Nations, it was reported here yesterday from Cairo. The change was seen as another step in Sadat’s shift away from Moscow and a possible move toward improved relations with the United States.
Ghaleb, who served for 10 years as Egypt’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union, was appointed to the Cabinet last Jan. Rumors that his ouster was impending surfaced last July when Sadat ordered the departure of Soviet advisors and military personnel from Egypt.
Zayyat served for two years at the UN and reportedly has many friends in the US where Egypt still has no formal diplomatic representation. His replacement of Ghaleb gave rise to speculation that Sadat is seeking a new American peace initiative in the Middle East following the US Presidential elections.
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