Brussels, 13/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - NATO and the European Commission have voiced strong support for the rebel Transitional National Council's (TNC) vision of the future in Libya once Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is no longer in power. After talks on Wednesday July 13 with a delegation led by rebel diplomatic chief Mahmoud Jibril, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged the TNC to press for a rapid political solution to the conflict. But he also vowed that the military alliance will continue to attack Gaddafi's forces as long as they target civilians. “There has to be a political solution. Led by Libyans. Supported by the international community. And fulfilling the legitimate demands of the Libyan people - as the United Nations Security Council demanded”, he said. “The time to find a solution is now”. Rasmussen said Jibril, on his visit to Brussels, had briefed NATO ambassadors about the rebel plans for a future Libya “based on democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights”. He added that the TNC “has a great responsibility for the smooth transition to a democratic and inclusive future in Libya”. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso took a similar line after separate talks with Jibril. “I welcome the vision of the TNC for the future of Libya, which is based on the principles of inclusion and democratic representation”, he said.
Rasmussen also insisted that Gaddafi has lost all legitimacy, but that his military remains a threat to civilians. NATO took over military operations in Libya on 31 March under UN Security Council resolutions, with the aim of policing a no-fly-zone, enforcing an arms embargo and protecting civilians and civilian populated areas from attack. In that time, its aircraft have flown almost 15,000 sorties, and 17 ships are patrolling Mediterranean waters off Libya's coast. When asked by a reporter whether the western allies should stop their bombing campaign during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in early August, Jibril said on behalf of the TNC only that: “There is no religion that says we do not have the right to defend ourselves at any given time”.
The visit to Brussels by the rebel delegation comes as emphasis shifts from the military to the political track, with Gaddafi and his supporters ever more entrenched and the rebels still disorganised as a military force. Allied military efforts in Libya, launched first by France and Britain, are now into their fifth month, and proving a heavy military and financial burden. The other European heavyweight, Germany, has declined to take part, while the United States has stepped back from any leadership role. However Washington still contributes substantially as it pays more to NATO in military and financial terms than all the other members combined. But the mission is proving a test of alliance unity. In France, which at one point was air-dropping light weapons to Libyan rebels even with the arms embargo in place, parliament voted on Tuesday 12 July to extend the military operation. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon told parliament ahead of the vote that Gaddafi's envoys had said the Colonel could be willing to surrender, however similar reports have proved unreliable in the past.
Apart from the military pressure upon him, Gaddafi is labouring under EU sanctions, including a freeze on his assets, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Libyan leader, his son and the intelligence chief on charges of crimes against humanity linked to attacks on civilians during the conflict. The EU, which has been flying its flag at offices in rebel-held Benghazi for the last three weeks, has called for some of those frozen assets to be made available to the rebel TNC. The rebels have complained that they have not been receiving the hundreds of millions of euro that had been promised in international aid.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that it would be up to EU member states to decide whether they would release the frozen funds, but he noted that the European Union had provided financial support of some €140 million to the Libyan people. He said that the Commission also stood ready to help run elections, build up Libya's justice system, help reform the security sector, provide macro-economic assistance and contribute to building a more vibrant civil society and media. “We are working towards a political resolution of the conflict”, he said, but he underlined that it would be up to the Libyans themselves to define their priorities and lead the rebuilding effort. “The EU is getting ready to assist in the construction of a new Libya. Our post-conflict assistance is being set up now, so we can start work from 'day one'. Europe's response to the Arab Spring is clear: it is a true partnership for democracy and shared prosperity”, said Barroso, who was to travel to Cairo with a similar message on Thursday 14 July. (LoC)