Taieb Fassi Fihri

Foreign Minister of Morocco

(Explore: Dictionary of Famous People, Moroccan Ministry of Communication)

Taieb Fassi Fihri was born on April 9, 1958 in Casablanca. He completed his secondary education in mathematical sciences at Rabat's Lycée Descartes in 1976 and went on in 1980 to receive a degree in applied statistical engineering from the National Institute for Applied Economics and Statistics (INSEA) in Rabat. He received a masters in public economy and planning from Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University in 1981 and a PhD in analysis and political economy from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris in 1984. In 1986 he became chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' division for European Union affairs and in 1989 he became director of the Ministry of State's foreign affairs bureau. In 1993 he took over the post of State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, a position which he kept through successive governments in 1994, 1995 and 1997. In 2002 Fihri spearheaded negotiations which led to a free trade agreement with the United States.