Салим Ахмед Салим: Танзаниялық саяхатшы және дипломат

Tanzanian politician and diplomat

Salim Ahmed Salim (سليم احمد سليم, , born 23 January 1942) is a Tanzanian politician and diplomat who has worked in the international diplomatic arena since the early 1960s. He served as prime minister for one year 1984–1985.

Salim was born in what was then considered the Sultanate of Zanzibar to Sheikh Ahmed Salim Riyami, an ethnic Arab of Omani descent while his mother was a local born mixed descent Tanzanian, born to an ethnic Arab father and a mixed Afro Arab mother.

He was educated at Lumumba College in Zanzibar and later pursued his undergraduate studies at the St. Stephen's College of the University of Delhi and obtained his master's degree in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York. He became a student activist in the 1950s and was founder and first Vice President of the All Zanzibar Student Union.

In 1981, Salim Ahmed Salim ran for Secretary General of the United Nations against the two term incumbent, Kurt Waldheim of Austria. Salim was then serving as President of the United Nations General Assembly, and he had the support of the Organisation of African Unity and the Non Aligned Movement. He could also count on China to veto Waldheim in the Security Council. However, Salim was opposed by the Reagan administration in the United States, which regarded him as an anti American radical who was hostile to South Africa and supported Palestinian statehood. The Soviet Union also opposed Salim for his activism and his pro China stance. However, neither country would relent, as the selection deadlocked for 6 weeks over a total of 16 rounds of voting. The deadlock finally ended when Waldheim and Salim both withdrew from the race, opening up the selection to other candidates. In 1996, Salim was again mentioned for the office. Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali was running unopposed for a second term and had the support of 14 of the 15 members of the Security Council. The United States was opposed to Boutros Ghali and offered to support any other African candidate, including Salim Ahmed Salim. However, France made it clear that it would veto Salim, so he was not nominated.

Order CountryYear Order of the Star of Africa 1980 Order of the United Republic of Tanzania 1985 National Order of a Thousand Hills 1993 Grand Cross of the Order of Devotion 1994 Order of Merit (Grand Officer) 1994 Medal of Africa 1999 National Order of the Lion (Grand Officer) 2000 Order of the Two Niles 2001 Ordre El Athir 2001 Order of Mono 2001 National Order of Mali (Commander) 2001 Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo (Gold) 2004 Order of the Uhuru Torch (Second Class) 2011 Order of Friendship 2019 Order of Amilcar Cabral (First Class) 2023