ALFRED A. ZARB
Curriculum Vitae
Joined the civil service in 1960. In December 1964 was posted to New
York to serve in the new Permanent Mission to the UN. Assisted in the
setting up of the Washington Embassy. Returned to Malta in 1968 and
posted to the new Permanent Delegation in Geneva from January 1970 to
August 1975 and again as Charge d'Affaires in 1977.
Returning to Head Office served in various positions moving from consular
relations, Personal Assistant to the Secretary, Arab Desk Officer, Head of
the Mediterranean section onto the Maghreb and Africa division. In 1989
was responsible for Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Ambassadorial responsibilities
Algeria and Morocco (1981 to 1999).
Tunisia (1981 to 1995).
Malta's representative to the League of Arab States in Tunis from 1981 to
1986.
Directorship
1992 -1999 Director for Bilateral Relations.
Head of Unit
1999 – 2007 Head, Mediterranean Unit.
Other responsibilities
Leader of delegations to negotiate and conclude agreements dealing with
shiprepair, communications (Earth Station), foreign investment,
Compensation for Nationalised Maltese Property and other subjects.
Co-Chairman of regular sessions of mixed commissions with Italy, France,
Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt.
1
Chairman Scholarships selection boards – Italy, France, Spain, Germany,
Greece, Japan, India, Russia, and South Korea
OSCE
-1974 – Geneva, Member of the delegation to the second phase of the CSCE
process.
-1979 – Valletta, Member of delegation , Meeting of experts on the
Economic, Scientific, and Cultural Cooperation in the Mediterranean
.
-1993 – Valletta, Executive Secretary of the CSCE Mediterranean Seminar.
CSCM
-1990 - Participated in the pre-preparatory meeting of the CSCM (Cairo).
Western Mediterranean Forum (5+5)
-1990 to 1993 and 2001 – 2005 - Malta's representative to the Western
Mediterranean Dialogue (5+5).
.Mediterranean Forum
-1994- 2006 – Malta’s coordinator on the Mediterranean Forum.
-1998/99 – Chairman, Political Group of Senior Officials
EuroMediterranean Conference
1995 - Member of the Malta Ministerial delegation to the EuroMediterranean Ministerial Conference (Barcelona)
1996 - 2005 – Malta’s Coordinator to the EuroMediterranean process
1997 - Conference Director,
Conference, Malta.
Second Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial
2
MEDAC Foundation
2006 - Member of the Board of Trustees of the Mediterranean Academy
for Diplomatic Studies Foundation.
IPU-CSCM Conferences
2000 – 2007
Member of the strategy team of the Malta Parliamentary
Delegation responsible for the establishment of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Mediterranean.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM)
2006-2007
Member of the task force to help set up the PAM Secretariat in
Malta
2006 Drafted and negotiated the Headquarters Agreement and other
instruments.
2007 Assited in the drawing up of the PAM Strategy paper: “Building on
Our Common Mediterranean Heritage”
2006 todate: Liaise between PAM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Euro Med Study Committee on Working Methods
2006 – 2007 Chairman/Special Rapporteur
Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2006- Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Barcelona process : Union for the Mediterranean
2008 Special Envoy to promote Malta’s bid to host the Secretariat of the
Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean.
3
European Commission – Arab League (EC-LAS) Liaison Office
2006
`
- Member of the Maltese negotiating team charged with the
setting up of the EC-AL Liaison Office in Malta.
Drafted and negotiated the Status Agreement
Travel
Over the years formed part of delegations accompanying the President, the
Prime Minister and Ministers, particularly the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
on state/ official visits abroad.
Decorations
-Comendador de Orden de Merito (Portugal)
-Commendatore nell'Ordine Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana
Family
Born Malta, 20 June 1937. Married to Therese nee Sammut with three
children Caroline, Steven and Claudine.
4