VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0597/01 1671450
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161450Z JUN 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6730

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