Ashour Bin Khayal

Ashour Bin Khayal
عاشور بن خيال
Foreign Minister of Libya
In office
22 November 2011  1 November 2012
President Mustafa Abdul Jalil
Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf
Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib
Preceded by Mahmoud Jibril
Succeeded by Ali Aujali
Personal details
Born 1939 (age 7576)
Derna, Libya
Nationality Libyan
Political party Libyan National Movement
Alma mater University of Libya (B.A.)
Institute of Higher Education (M.A.)
Profession Diplomat
Religion Sunni Islam

Ashour Bin Khayal (Arabic: عاشور بن خيال), sometimes romanised Bin Hayal, is a Libyan diplomat and politician who was born in the Cyrenaican city of Derna in September 1939. He was named Foreign Minister on 22 November 2011 by Abdurrahim El-Keib in a surprise move, as the position was originally reported to be filled by Libya's deputy ambassador to United Nations Ibrahim Dabbashi. He was described as little-known prior to his appointment.[1]

Bin Khayal was previously the first secretary at the Libyan embassy in Rome in the late 1960s. Bin Khayal served as Libya's First Secretary and Adviser for the Libyan Mission to the United Nations, New York at the UN Security Council during Libya’s 1976-1977 membership term. During his term at the UN he also worked in the capacity of Deputy Delegate with Mansour Rashid El-Kikhia. He was also Libya’s ambassador to Korea but resigned in 1984 after a gunman fired from the Libyan embassy in London at a protest outside, killing police officer Yvonne Fletcher.[2]

After defecting, Bin Khayal joined the ranks of the Libyan National resistance and was later named the Deputy Secretary General of the National Libyan Alliance. In 2005, after the killing of Kikhia, he served as Chairman and later as president for the National Conference of the Libyan Opposition. During the Libyan Civil War, the Conference declared support for the National Transitional Council and allocated all possible resources towards the service of the nation.

External links

References

  1. "Libya's NTC unveils new government line-up". Reuters. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  2. "CV of Foreign minister of Libya". Foreign Ministry of Libya. Retrieved 12 December 2011.