US Ambassador to Libya Confirmed
The United States Senate confirmed Gene Cretz, a U.S. diplomat who has held positions in cities such as Tel Aviv, Cairo, New Delhi, and Beijing throughout his career, as the new ambassador to Libya. Cretz’s confirmation as a Washington ambassador to Libya occurred on November 20th, and he will be sworn into office on December 17th, starting his position a few days after.
Cretz’s appointment makes him the first U.S. ambassador to Libya in over 30 years. The United States withdrew its ambassador to Tripoli in 1972 when there was an attack on the U.S. Embassy. Ties with the United States became shaky when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi took power in his 1969 coup and began supporting what the U.S. considered international terrorism. All other U.S. diplomats to Libya were also withdrawn at that time.
The two countries re-opened lower-level missions in 2004 and made them full embassies in 2006. Relations with the U.S. began to warm significantly this year when Libya agreed to pay $1.5 billion in compensation to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing, the Libyan attack on a disco in West Berlin in 1986, and other incidents.
Sarah Dada
