Prime Minister Ali Zeidan Religion Islam Profession Diplomat | Nationality Libyan Role Diplomat Preceded by Ashour Bin Khayal Name Ali Aujali | |
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President Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf | ||
Political party Independent politician Alma mater University of Benghazi | ||
Libyan rebels' representative joins Lateline
Ali Suleiman Aujali (Arabic: علي الأوجلي, alternatively transliterated Ojli and Adjali) is a Libyan diplomat who was nominated for Libya's minister of foreign affairs, but resigned on 2 January 2013 without being sworn in.
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Early life and education
Born in Benghazi in 1944, he received his BA in Business Administration from the Benghazi University.
Career
Aujali was first posted to the Libyan embassy in London as Third Secretary in 1971. In 1976 he was posted to the Libyan embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before being promoted in 1981 to the post of Ambassador to Malaysia. Subsequently Aujali was the Libyan ambassador to Argentina (1984–1988) and then Brazil (1988–1994). As Ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2011 for the Gaddafi government, he was also known for defending the return of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to Libya. He also served as the chargé d'affaires to Canada (2001 to 2004).
Aujali was formerly Ambassador to the United States on behalf of the National Transitional Council from 15 August 2011 to 1 November 2012. He previously held the position on behalf of the Gaddafi government from January 2009 until February 2011, when he resigned in the wake of the Libyan Civil War. He joined the opposition National Transitional Council soon after; on 9 August the U.S. State Department confirmed that it had handed the Libyan embassy in Washington, D.C. to the NTC, and Aujali was re-accredited by the United States as Libya's Ambassador on 15 August.
Aujali was nominated for minister of foreign affairs by Ali Zidan at the end of October 2012. Although cabinet minister are sworn in on 14 November 2013, he could not since his investigation by the commission regarding his ties to former ruler of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, was not completed until that day. The commission cleared him on 27 November. However, he was not sworn in and resigned on 31 December 2012.