Al-Ashtal, former ambassador to UN dies [Archives:2004/769/Local News]

By YT & Agencies
The Yemeni Foreign Ministry announced that Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal, Yemen's former ambassador to the United Nations, died in New York on Thursday having suffered from lung cancer for a long period of time.
Al-Ashtal, who died of an age of 66, was among Yemen's most prominent diplomats, who had represented Yemen in the UN for nearly 30 years. He was first assigned to the mission on May 29, 1973, as the permanent representative of the People's Democratic Republic to the United Nations and continued representing Yemen after unification of the former Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic in 1990. He remained in this post until July 2002.
The deceased's nephew Anwar Al-Ashtal told the Yemen Times “I believe my uncle served his country well, and we are all proud of him. We are awaiting his body to come to Yemen to start funeral procedures in Yemen.”
Yemeni officials said al-Ashtal was repeatedly offered senior positions in the government, including that of Foreign Minister, but he turned them down, preferring instead to remain in New York.
Al-Ashtal left a wife, son and daughter.
——
[archive-e:769-v:13-y:2004-d:2004-09-02-p:ln]