LIBYA'S TREKI ELECTED UNGA PRESIDENT; QADDAFI TO

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000597 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC LI PREL UNGA SUBJECT: LIBYA'S TREKI ELECTED UNGA PRESIDENT; QADDAFI TO NY IN SEPTEMBER REF: 11 JUNE FAX USUN/ECOSOC/DUGAN - IO/UNP/GOLDENBERG ¶1. Summary: The UN General Assembly elected Libyan diplomat Ali Treki to serve as its president in the forthcoming session. Also elected by acclamation were 21 vice presidents. The bureaus of the Assembly,s six Main Committees were elected with a few remaining vacancies to be filled soon. In press accounts he announced Qaddafi,s intention to attend the September General Debate and was optimistic about relations with the United States at the United Nations. End Summary. ¶2. Libyan nominee Ali Abdussalam Treki, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the United Nations, was elected on June 10th to the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly for its 64th Session commencing September 15 for one year. The coming term was "Africa,s turn", according to a rotational scheme. The Africa States Group lined up behind Qaddafi,s candidate, resulting in a non-contested election that was decided by consensus acclamation of the General Assembly. Elected in separate meetings were the chairs and other bureau members of the Assembly,s six Main Committees, in addition to the 21 vice-presidents of the Assembly plenary, selected from regional groups. ¶3. The three-time Libyan Ambassador to the UN (most recently in 2003),and currently Libya's Minister of African Union Affairs, was elected by acclamation by the 192-member Assembly. UN Secretary-General Ban welcomed the President-elect back to the UN, noting that his "wide-ranging diplomatic experience will be invaluable as he presides over the General Assembly." Current GA President D,Escoto said that he assumes Mr. Treki will face the job "with the same passion and determination that have inspired my presidency," encouraging him to "press for the revitalization of this body as it seeks to restore its authority and leadership on the world stage during these perilous times." Treki said that he would depend on the assistance of every Member of the Assembly, and would not align himself with any party or group; "My only alignment will be for justice, security, peace and the common interests of the entire international community." ¶4. In an interview before the vote, Treki confirmed press accounts that Libya,s head of state Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi will visit New York in September to mark Libya's GA presidency. Treki said that Qaddafi wanted to meet a broad array of Americans on his visit, adding "I am sure that he will meet certain mass media; that he will meet the business community and the intellectual community." ¶5. Treki was optimistic about relations with the United States in his comments to the press. In 2006 Libya was removed from the US list of sponsors of terrorism after it paid compensation for victims of attacks, The United States resumed formal diplomatic relations with Libya in 2008. (Press report is at http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=1308.) Treki recalled how the United States was not a colonizer of Africa and had promoted self-determination in Europe after World War I and opposed the British and French seizure of the Suez Canal in the 1950s. He said that on the issue of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories, which the United States opposes, "the position of Obama is a very, very encouraging one." ¶6. "We can see good signals from President Obama about the world in general -- his visit to Egypt, his address to the Muslim world, his future visit also to the (African) continent," Treki said. He hoped Libya would be able to work in partnership with the United States on some of Africa,s problems. Treki said that Africa, rich in resources, is in need of investment more than aid or loans, which he called a "heavy burden" on some countries. ¶7. The election of Treki caps a decade of overtures intended to advance Libya,s position in the world. In the last few years, Libya has been very active in international and regional organizations. It was elected to the Security Council for the 2007-2009 term and it currently holds the chairmanship of the African Union with plans to rally countries around the concept of a "united states of Africa." Libya has served on the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Previously it was chair of the UN,s Human Right Commission to the dismay of human rights advocates, leading in part to the overhaul of that Commission into the current Human Rights Council. In 2004, UN sanctions on Libya were lifted. ¶8. In his statement upon being elected, Treki provided the usual "tour d, horizon" of the current state of issues identified broadly with the UN Charter. He described the creation and prerogatives of the Permanent Five as a "major defect" of the Charter,s drafting and called for reform of the Security Council. He also stressed the need to grant to the General Assembly "its full authorities to shoulder its responsibilities in this human march." He highlighted that the 64th Assembly would continue to address climate change, the world financial and economic crisis, and "the realization of human rights." He declared that all wars constituted wrongdoing; he said the only ones worth fighting relentlessly were those against fatal disease, poverty, hunger and illiteracy. (See Ref A for his statement.) ¶9. Treki would not comment in detail on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but did say to the press that much of the Palestinian problem is rooted in the denial of rights and opportunities for a decent life. "You can deal with an angry man but not with a hungry man," he said. "The gap between rich and poor is a reason for terrorism all over the world." ¶10. "I,m very proud that Africa has chosen me to represent them," Treki said. "We are really part of this continent and we are very keen to help in building the continent." He said that Africans, representing 53 of the United Nations, 192 members, are united in demanding two permanent seats on the Security Council and an end to marginalization in international affairs. "We need really to take our place as a respected continent," he said. ¶11. While Treki says he remains committed to enlarging the Security Council, he would also to pay attention to the General Assembly; "The reform of the General Assembly is very important," he said. (An Assembly resolution led to Libyan independence from Italy in 1951.) "The General Assembly should have power to implement its resolutions," he said. "The resolutions of the General Assembly are not binding. How can we make them really respected?" ¶12. Although Treki is just beginning to organize his General Assembly agenda, he said that most of the problems the United Nations faces are long-standing ones, and he will be picking up where his predecessor, Nicaraguan Miguel d,Escoto, will have left off when he steps down in September. "I have to follow up the reform of the United Nations, environment, the international financial situation, social issues, disarmament, education, diseases," Treki stated. "My responsibility is to build consensus, to narrow the gap between different groups and countries, to reach an agreement for the interest of the international community." ¶13. Biographical note: Ali Abdussalam Treki was born in 1938 and holds a BA in literature from Garyounes University in Benghazi, Libya, and a PhD in political history from Toulouse University in France. Fluent in French and English, he has spent his entire career in international relations, with an emphasis on the Arab world and Africa. ¶14. Election of Vice-Presidents of the 64th Session of the General Assembly: Elected likewise by acclamation and on the basis of equitable geographic balance were 21 Vice-Presidents for the sixty-fourth session: Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, South Africa and the Sudan from the African States; India, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal and Turkmenistan from the Asian States; Slovenia from the Eastern European States; Barbados, El Salvador and Venezuela from the Latin American and Caribbean States; and Belgium and Finland from the Western European and other States. The five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States) also serve as Vice-Presidents. ¶15. Election of Committee Officers of the Main Committees of the 64th Session of the General Assembly: -The Assembly elected Jos Luis Cancela (Uruguay) as Chair of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) with Hossam Aly (Egypt),Hilario Davide (Philippines), Florian Laudi (Germany) and Tetyana Pokhval,ona (Ukraine) making up the remainder of the Bureau and the distribution of the Vice-Chair and Rapporteur posts to be decided at a later date. -The Assembly elected Park In-kook (Republic of Korea) as Chair of its Second Committee (Economic and Financial),and Mohamed Cherif Diallo (Guinea),Carlos Enrique Garca Gonzlez (El Salvador),Denise McQuade (Ireland) and Dragan Mii (Serbia) as the remainder of the Bureau, with the Rapporteur,s position to be decided at a later date. -Normans Penke (Latvia) was elected Chair of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural),with Nicola Hill (New Zealand),Fiola Hoosen (South Africa),Edgard Prez (Peru) and Zahid Rastam (Malaysia) as the remainder of the Bureau, with specific tasks to be decided at a later date. -Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser (Qatar) was elected Chair of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), while Ridas Petkus (Lithuania) and Reniery Valladares (Honduras) were elected Vice-Chairs and Khalid Mohammed Osman (Sudan) Rapporteur. -The Assembly elected Peter Maurer (Switzerland) as Chair of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary),and Danilo Rosales Daz (Nicaragua),Babou Sene (Senegal) and Sirithon Wairatpanij (Thailand) as Vice-Chairs, and Yuliana Georgieva (Bulgaria) as Rapporteur. -Mourad Benmedhidi (Algeria) was elected Chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal) with Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh (Iran) and Andris Stastoli (Albania) as Vice-Chairs, and Pierra Cartuyvels (Belgium) as Rapporteur. ¶16. The General Assembly will meet again at a date and time to be announced to fill remaining vacancies in the Main Committees, bureaus. DICARLO