Abdul Ati al-Obeidi

Abdul Ati al-Obeidi (عبد العاطي العبيدي; 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 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.

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

Abdul Ati al-Obeidi died from a heart attack on 16 September 2023, at the age of 83.

Career

 * General Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister)
 * 1 March 1977 to 1 March 1979


 * General Secretary of the General People's Congress (Head of State)
 * 2 March 1979 to 7 January 1981


 * Other positions
 * Minister for European Affairs
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs: 1982 to 1984; 2011
 * Deputy Foreign Minister
 * Libyan Ambassador to Tunisia
 * Libyan Ambassador to Italy