Ali Abdussalam Treki (; 10 October 1937 – 19 October 2015) was a Libyan diplomat in
Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Treki served as one of Libya's top diplomats from the 1970s till the
2011 Libyan Civil War
The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...
. He was
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
from 1976 to 1982 and again from 1984 to 1986, and was later the
permanent representative to the United Nations on several occasions. He was the
president of the United Nations General Assembly
The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly.
Election
...
from September 2009
to September 2010.
Early life
Treki was born in October 1937 in
Misrata
Misrata ( ; , Libyan Arabic: ; also spelled Misratah and known by the Italian spelling Misurata) is a city in northwestern Libya located in the Misrata District, situated to the east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. ...
, to Abdussalem and Amna Treki. He was educated at
Garyounis University in Benghazi, and the
University of Toulouse
The University of Toulouse (, ) is a community of universities and establishments ( ComUE) based in Toulouse, France. Originally it was established in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the ...
in France.
[''World Who's Who: Europa Biographical Reference'', Routledge, 2015.]
In 1969, he married Aisha Dihoum, with whom he had four children—one son and three daughters.
Career
Working at Libya's foreign ministry, Treki was Minister Plenipotentiary in 1970, Director of the Political Administration from 1970 to 1973, Director of the African Administration from 1973 to 1974 and Assistant Deputy for Political Affairs from 1974 to 1976. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1976 to 1982 and as Permanent Representative to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
from 1982 to 1984. Subsequently he returned to his post as Foreign Minister from 1984 to 1986 before resuming his post as Permanent Representative to the UN from 1986 to 1990.
On 8 December 1983, Treki was rebuked by the
Secretary General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
after a speech before the global body in which he urged its members to
Look around New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. Who are the owners of pornographic film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...
operations and houses? Is it not the Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
who are exploiting the American people
Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...
and trying to debase them? If we succeed in eliminating that entity, we shall by the same token save the American and European peoples.[Jewish slur provokes rebuke by U.N. leader]
, Baltimore Sun 12 October 1983[Fear and Loathing]
''New York Magazine'' 8 October 1992
He became Libya's Ambassador to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on 3 February 1995, and he subsequently served as Secretary for African Affairs from May 1999 to June 2003.
He was again posted as Permanent Representative to the UN in 2003.
[ In mid-2004, he was appointed as Special Adviser to Libyan leader ]Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
,[ and on 3 January 2005 he began a tour of African countries, acting as Gaddafi's special envoy, to work toward solutions for several African conflicts and disputes. In mid-January 2005, when a reorganization of the foreign ministry took place, he was named Secretary for African Union Affairs by the General People's Congress of Libya. Libya submitted Treki's candidacy in the election to the post of Chairperson of the African Union Commission at the AU summit in ]Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...
in early 2008, but it was rejected because it was submitted late.
Treki was the co-chairman of the Pakistan-Libya joint economic commission, and received the award of Hilal-i-Pakistan from President Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...
in May 2010.
President of the UN General Assembly
In March 2009, Treki was chosen as Libya's top diplomat and nominated to be the next President of the General Assembly. He assumed office on 15 September 2009.
In his presidential opening address to the 64th session of the General Assembly, Treki said: "We must put an end to wars and to their causes and consequences. Dialogue and mutual understanding are the way to resolve our problems. Embargoes and blockades are fruitless: they exacerbate antagonism and rebellion, while undermining respect for the international community."[ ]
In June 2010, Treki made the following statement:
"In response to questions by correspondents seeking his views on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, the president of the General Assembly expressed his support for human rights for all persons without any distinction or discrimination. The President of the General Assembly believes that violence, or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is unacceptable".
In an interview with Syrian TV which aired on 11 April 2010 (as translated by MEMRI), Treki stated that " srael'ssiege on Gaza is a disgrace for the entire international community. It is a camp that is worse than the camps of the Nazis in the past."
Libyan Civil War
On 31 March 2011, during the First Libyan Civil War, he resigned and went to Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
.
In an interview on 1 April in Cairo, Treki said that resolving the conflict would require Libya's becoming a democracy, and that the Gaddafi family
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...
must give up power to make way for a transition to democracy under United Nations' auspices.
Treki died in Cairo on 19 October 2015.
References
External links
President of the 64th Session
biography, statements and webcast from the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
*
A New Dawn for Africa?
Scott Macleod, ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', 2 March 2001, interview with Ali Treki
Libya
at Rulers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treki, Ali
1937 births
2015 deaths
University of Benghazi alumni
University of Toulouse alumni
Ambassadors of Libya to France
Ministers of foreign affairs of Libya
Permanent representatives of Libya to the United Nations
Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly
People of the Libyan civil war (2011)
Libyan emigrants to Egypt
20th-century diplomats
21st-century diplomats