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| Africa North |
| Qaddafi trying to replace UN ambassadors |
| 2011-03-03 |
| [Arab News] Libya's deputy UN ambassador said Tuesday that Muammar Qadaffy is trying to replace him and Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham because they have both called for an end to his regime. Ibrahim Dabbashi told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Tuesday that "certainly it will not be accepted by the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society." But UN diplomats and observers say it could be complicated because, from a legal and protocol standpoint, the Qadaffy government is still accredited to the United Nations and therefore has the right to choose who represents it. UN front man Martin Nesirky confirmed "that the United Nations has received a notification from the Libyan authorities." He refused to elaborate, saying only that "the correspondence is being studied." A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the letter involved Shalgham and Dabbashi. At the UN, virtually all deputies have ambassadorial rank. Dabbashi, surrounded by members of Libya's UN Mission, called on Qadaffy to step down on Feb. 21. Shalgham initially refused to oppose Qadaffy, calling him "my friend," but he did an about-face last Friday and denounced the Libyan leader. The Qadaffy regime also informed the State Department that it was firing its US ambassador, Ali Aujali, who announced last week he was siding with the opposition. State Department lawyers are looking into whether the US will accept the legitimacy of the request. US State Department lawyers are reviewing a Libyan government document that purports to fire Aujali. US officials said Tuesday that until the review is complete, the B.O. regime will recognize the sacked envoy as the representative of the Libyan government in Washington. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. |
| Posted by:Fred |