Hisham Nazer passes away

Khaled Bin Mirdah Okaz / Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Hisham Nazer has passed away on Saturday evening in the United States. He held the portfolio of two important ministries which were planning and oil and mineral resources. He concluded his professional life as Saudi ambassador to Egypt. He was 83 years old. He was the man who made the Kingdom's first Five-Year-Development Plan (1970-75) when King Faisal appointed him head of the central authority for planning in the rank of a minister. Nazer was born in Riyadh, had his secondary education at Victoria College in Alexandria and his B.A. in international relations from California University in 1957. He had his master's degree from the same university. Though he was appointed Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources late 1986, his connections with the world of oil started well before that when he took a job at the Directorate General of Oil and Minerals after his graduation from the United States. In 1971 Nazer was appointed state minister and cabinet member and in 1975 was made minister of planning. Nazer's body is expected to arrive in the Kingdom for burial on Tuesday.