Abdul Ati al-Obeidi

Abdul Ati al-Obeidi
عبد العاطي العبيدي
Obeidi in 2010
Prime Minister of Libya
In office
2 March 1977 – 2 March 1979
PresidentMuammar Gaddafi
Preceded byAbdessalam Jalloud
Succeeded byJadallah Azzuz at-Talhi
Secretary-General of the General People's Congress
In office
2 March 1979 – 7 January 1981
LeaderMuammar Gaddafi
Preceded byMuammar Gaddafi
Succeeded byMuhammad az-Zaruq Rajab
Foreign Minister of Libya
In office
1982–1984
Preceded byAli Treki
Succeeded byAli Treki
In office
6 April 2011 – 2011
Preceded byMoussa Koussa
Succeeded byMahmoud Jibril
Personal details
Born(1939-10-10)10 October 1939[1]
Jabal al Akhdar, Italian Libya
Died16 September 2023(2023-09-16) (aged 83)
Tripoli, Libya

Abdul Ati al-Obeidi (/ˈɑːbdəl ˈɑːti ɑːl ˈbdi/ ; Arabic: عبد العاطي العبيدي, romanizedʿAbd al-ʿĀṭī al-ʿUbayyidī; 10 October 1939 – 16 September 2023) was a Libyan politician and diplomat. He held various top posts in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi; he was Prime Minister from 1977 to 1979 and General Secretary of General People's Congress from 1979 to 1981. He was one of three main negotiators in Libya's decision to denounce and drop their nuclear weapons program.

In 2011, amidst the First Libyan Civil War between Gaddafi loyalists and anti-Gaddafi rebels, he was appointed Foreign Minister after the defection of Moussa Koussa. In fact, he had accompanied Koussa to Djerba, Tunisia before returning to Libya while Koussa defected and went to London. On 3 April 2011 (a week after Koussa's defection), Obeidi flew to Greece to present a peace proposal to his counterpart Dimitrios Droutsas.[2]

On 31 August 2011, he was detained west of Tripoli by rebel forces.[3][4] In June 2013, a court found him not guilty of a charge of mismanagement.[5][6]

Abdul Ati al-Obeidi died of a heart attack in Tripoli on 16 September 2023, at the age of 83.[7]

  1. ^ The Middle East and North Africa. Europa Publications. December 1980. ISBN 9780905118505.
  2. ^ "Gaddafi's deputy foreign minister flies to Athens with peace proposal". the Guardian. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Libya's former foreign minister surrenders - video". The Guardian. September 2011.
  4. ^ "'It's over for Gaddafi' says his foreign minister". 24 August 2011.
  5. ^ Former Gaddafi official given senior position in Libyan eastern ruling body Middle East Monitor, 3 April 2017
  6. ^ "Gaddafi officials acquitted but stay behind bars". Reuters. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. ^ Former Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Ati Al-Obeidi passes away at 84