Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt

Hosni Mubarak has been president of Egypt since 1981, following the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the first Arab leader to sign a peace agreement with Israel.

Considered a moderate in the Arab world - he was in Israel in 1995 to attend the funeral of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin - Mubarak has been active in encouraging a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often acting as a mediator between the sides.

Mubarak was born in 1928 in Kafr al Meselha.

He held various positions in the Egypt Air Force before becoming air force commander and deputy minister of war in 1972. He was appointed vice president in 1975 and assumed the presidency in 1981, following the Sadat assassination.

Mubarak is mostly noted for initiating an economic recovery program, cracking down on Islamic fundamentalists, and engaging in ongoing peace efforts in the region. Under his leadership, Egypt joined the anti-Iraq coalition in the 1991 Gulf War.

However, Mubarak has also been criticized in light of his refusal to name a successor and accused of corruption. He was elected to a fourth six-year term in 1999, although the democratic nature of the elections is questionable.

There is some speculation that Mubarak could be succeeded by one of his sons.