Tahar Belkhodja

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Tahar Belkhodja (2015)

Tahar Belkhodja ( Arabic الطاهر بلخوجة, DMG aṭ-Ṭāhir Bilḫauǧa ; * June 9, 1931 in Mahdia ) is a former Tunisian diplomat and politician of the Socialist Destur party PSD (Parti Socialiste Destourien) , who was interior minister between 1973 and 1977.

Life

Studies and diplomatic career

Belkhodja completed his school education at the renowned Collège Sadiki in Tunis, founded in 1875, as well as in Aix-en-Provence and Toulouse . As early as 1947 he had joined the Neo-Destur party , the predecessor organization of the Socialist Destur party PSD (Parti Socialiste Destourien) . After his return, he began studying agricultural sciences at L'Ecole Superieure d'Agriculture , now the Institut national agronomique de Tunisie , from which he graduated in 1956 as an agricultural engineer. In August 1957 he replaced Hafedh Tarmiz as general secretary of the General Student Union UGET (Union générale des étudiants de Tunisie) and remained in this position until his replacement by Mongi Kooli in August 1959. He was also President of the International Association of Agricultural Students and Student representatives at the meetings of the Politburo of the Neo Destur party.

He then entered the diplomatic service and in January 1960 became head of the cabinet of the then Foreign Minister Sadok Mokaddem . In January 1961 he was envoy and chargé d' affaires at the embassy in France and then between December 1961 and September 1966 ambassador to West Africa with his official seat in Dakar . As such, he was also in Senegal , Ivory Coast , Mali , Guinea and Mauritania accredited .

After his return, Belkhodja became head of cabinet at the State Secretary for Planning and National Economy in September 1966 and then General Director of the National Security Service in June 1967, before he was dismissed in December 1968 for "abuse of power". At the same time he lost his membership in the central committee of the PSD. In May 1969 he was reappointed a member of the PSD Central Committee by President Habib Bourguiba and again ambassador to Senegal in July 1969 and then ambassador to Spain on March 9th .

minister

On November 6, 1970, Belkhodja took over as the successor to Abdelaziz Beltaïef in the cabinet of Prime Minister Hédi Nouira as Minister of Youth and Sport. He exercised this until his replacement by Ahmed Chtourou on October 29, 1971 and was then both permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva and ambassador to the Holy See . After former minister Ahmed Ben Salah , who had been convicted of treason, broke out of prison and fled to Algeria , he took over the post of interior minister on February 4, 1973 as the successor to former minister Hédi Khefacha . In the course of a cabinet reshuffle, he was dismissed as Minister of the Interior on December 23, 1977, whereupon Defense Minister Abdallah Farhat initially took over this office temporarily before Dhaoui Hannablia became the new Minister of the Interior on December 26, 1977.

After Belkhodja was ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany between 1979 and 1980 , he returned to Tunisia on December 3, 1980 and took over the post of information minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Mohamed Mzali as successor to Fouad Mebazaa . He held this ministerial office until June 18, 1983, when he was replaced by Abderrazak Kéfi .

Belkhodja married a niece of long-time President Habib Bourguiba.

publication

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Belkhodja, Tahar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES الطاهر بلخوجة (Arabic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Tunisian politician and diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH June 9, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Mahdia