On Tuesday, Libya’s ambassador to the United States announced that he was resigning his post. As recently as the day before, he had said that he would not do so because he was part of the “good side” of the Libyan government. He now joins a growing list of Libyan ambassadors who have disowned their nation’s dictator, Muammar al-Gaddafi.

 

Ali Suleiman Aujali was named chief of the Libyan Interests Section in Washington, DC, in the spring of 2004 after serving as the chargé d’affaires to Canada from 2001 until 2004. He was then appointed as Libya’s Ambassador to the US on January 6, 2009. In September 2009, he defended the transfer of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi from Scotland to Libya by explaining that most Libyans thought Megrahi was falsely convicted.

 

Born in Benghazi, Aujali began his diplomatic career in 1971 as third secretary at the Libyan Embassy in London. In 1976, he moved to the Libyan Embassy in Malaysia, where he served as first secretary until he was appointed ambassador in 1981. In 1984, he was appointed Libya’s Ambassador to Argentina, followed by a similar appointment in Brazil (1988-1994).

 

Aujali served as Deputy Director-General of the Americas Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1994 until 1998, Director-General of the North and South Americas Department from 1998 through 2000, and Director-General of European affairs from 2000 until 2001.

-David Wallechinsky

 

Key Role for the Libyan Diplomat who Helped Change Pariah Status (by Andrew McLeod, Caledonian Mercury)

Why Libya Welcomed Megrahi (by Ali Aujati, Wall Street Journal)