• by Thalif Deen (united nations)
• Thursday, September 17, 2009
• Inter Press Service

Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya, the newly-anointed president of the 192-member U.N. General Assembly, hails from a country with a mostly radical and far-reaching political agenda.

Libya's unpredictable leader, Muammar el-Qaddafi, has campaigned for the creation of a United States of Africa and called for a veto-wielding permanent seat for the 53-member African Union (AU) in the Security Council.

Addressing the General Assembly after he was formally inducted Tuesday as president of the U.N.'s highest policymaking body, Treki reiterated some of the political precepts of his leader who currently chairs the AU, one of the world's most influential bodies representing an entire continent.

'Embargoes and blockades are fruitless,' Treki said. 'They exacerbate antagonism and rebellion, while undermining respect for the will of the international community. Their only effect is on the population.'

And in an implicit dig at Israel, he pronounced that 'state terrorism is the harshest form of terrorism'.

At a press conference in June, when he was declared president-elect of the General Assembly, Treki was asked about the Security Council's obsession with Iran's nuclear programme.

'Where should we start?' asked Treki in a voice tinged with sarcasm. 'Should we start with the country which has nuclear weapons in the Middle East (read: Israel), or a country accused of only attempting to have nuclear weapons (read: Iran)?'

Clearly, he was castigating the double standards of the Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation - specifically in the perpetually strife-torn Middle East - which wields one yardstick for Israel and another for Iran.

Since Libya had voluntarily given up its nuclear weapons programme back in 2003, he pointed out, it was totally opposed to any country possessing such weapons.

Over the years, he said, the General Assembly has been calling for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. But nothing has come out of it.

'We don't want Israel to have nuclear weapons and we don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons,' he added.

By extension, he said, Libya does not want even the five permanent members of the Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - to have what he called 'the world's most destructive and indiscriminate weapon'.

Treki succeeds Fr. Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, a strongly left-leaning member of the Nicaraguan cabinet, who returns to his home country after completing his one-year presidency early this week.

Like D'Escoto, Treki is also pushing for a stronger political role for the General Assembly in an institution where the most powerful body is the 15-member Security Council voicing the views of a microscopic minority at the United Nations.

'All of us believe that the United Nations is in need of reform and democratisation,' he told delegates Tuesday.

'The General Assembly, which represents the entire world, has been hampered by obstacles in its path because it has been unable to implement or enforce its resolution,' said Treki, who will be holding the post of presidency until September 2010.

Treki argued that the Assembly must be reformed to regain its international legitimacy by ensuring that its voice is heard and respected, and its resolutions implemented.

At the General Assembly sessions last September, Libyan Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi called for the convening of a high-level meeting of the Assembly devoted solely to the issue of U.N. reform.

Such a meeting, he said, should be held in a European capital 'in order to enable all world leaders to attend'.

'With the presidency of the Assembly in its hands, Libya could push for such a meeting,' says an Asian diplomat.

And if Libya runs true to form, he adds, 'There'll never be a dull moment through next September.'

Ettalhi also reiterated Libya's stand against countries described as 'safe havens' - or 'corridors for money laundering crimes and safe shelters for stolen funds and plundered wealth'.

'It is no longer acceptable,' he said, 'to remain silent on those havens which provide protection for money generated from corruption and crime in their financial institutions.'

Quite often, he added, those funds are used by terrorist groups and organised crime banks to threaten the security and stability of states.

At the sidelines of the summit meeting of the G8 industrialised nations (the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia), Qaddafi lashed out at Switzerland, described as one of the traditional safe havens for ill-gotten gains.

'Switzerland is a world mafia, and not a state,' Qaddafi was quoted as saying, according to published reports.

Responding to his statement, Christa Markwaler, a Swiss parliamentarian, said: 'We are concerned that Libya will attempt to use its year-long presidency of the U.N. General Assembly to damage Switzerland's reputation.'

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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