Libya has appointed former Foreign Minister Ali Abdussalam Treki as its UN envoy in New York, replacing an ambassador who renounced the Libyan leadership, the United Nations said on Friday.

“The Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) has received correspondence from the Libyan authorities,”said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, adding “That correspondence names
Dr Treki as the person they wish to have as the permanent representative of their country”.

It is not clear whether Treki, one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s most senior foreign policy advisers and a former President of the UN General Assembly, will ever take up the post as Libyan ambassador to the United Nations.

In theory, Gaddafi has the right to name his UN envoys.

“Libya is a recognised member of the UN,”Nesirky said, adding “When any country sends a letter naming the permanent representative, that person is the person who will be recognised as the permanent representative.”
Nesirky added, however, that Treki would need to present his credentials to Ban in New York in order to become the Libyan ambassador.

The U.S. has a treaty with the UN covering visa issuance, but Washington reserves the right to deny visas under certain circumstances.

It is unclear whether the U.S. State Department would be prepared to give Treki a visa.

In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley noted that the U.S. had obligations to the UN. “but the first step in this process is for Libya to authentically and authoritatively declare who their representatives are,”he said.

Gaddafi has been the subject of widespread international condemnation after his security forces cracked down brutally on protests against his rule.

Some foreign governments have said the death toll runs to several thousand, though Tripoli says the real figure is lower, and that the violence was instigated by al Qaeda.