
Painter Rafat Askar, 46, rests at the seaside of the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, (AP).
Libya’s final battle seems to be reaching its end as approximately 80 to 90 per cent of Tripoli has been taken over by opposition fighters. Sunday evening witnessed large scale celebrations in the newly named ‘Freedom Square’. Although Gaddafi’s whereabouts remain unclear, two of his sons were seized. As this looming victory seems to reach its finale, speculations rise over the future of the country and the transitional face that is to follow suit.
International leaders have made statements, demanding the Libyan leader to step down. Al-Jazeera English reported that Prime Minister David Cameron stated, “what we have done in Libya is necessary, legal, and right,” in the National Security Council meeting held on Monday.
While Libya’s rebels have a loose command structure, the Transitional National Council (TNC) has been seen as their legitimate representative. The TNC’s diplomatic chief, Mahmoud Jibril is expected to travel to France in the coming days to discuss the country’s future with other international leaders. A contact group is also to be set up next week where international leaders will work out the “road map” for the months to come, as termed by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Associated Press.
In May, the European Union’s Foreign Affairs chief Katherine Ashton extended de-facto recognition of the Libyan opposition group by opening up a diplomatic office in Benghazi. The EU has also provided 150 million euros in humanitarian aid since the start of the conflict.
In response to the current international statements made, the Libyan Charge d’Affaires in London, Mahmoud Nacua, stated that it is time for NATO to stop its air strikes and that they have “neutralised Gaddafi’s war machine,” as reported by Reuters.
Nacua also added that a decision has been made to move the TNC from its current base in Benghazi to Tripoli and a new Transitional government will be formed to represent the country. This will be the first major step taken to determine the political roadmap of the country and to work towards building the post-Gaddafi nation.
AFP has reported that the Chinese foreign ministry states, "China is willing to work with the international community to play a constructive role in the future reconstruction of Libya." This is likely to reflect China’s large scale economic interests in Libya, with oil, telecom, and railway projects being undertaken.
Russia, however, has stated that the most crucial step needed to be taken at the moment is organising the formation of an opposition group, to create unity before the final fall of the Libyan leader.
Although American President Barack Obama has remained relatively reserved on the conflict throughout the past six months, he did state that what is important at the moment is that the opposition’s upcoming takeover of Tripoli must uphold human rights.
As strenuous and long enduring the conflict may have been, the road ahead is more important now. Not only is a possible power struggle expected to take place amongst the opposition figures, but some parallels are also being made with the post-Saddam regime. Although there is jubilation among the Libyan people and international community at the moment, there are fears about the constructed tribal or inter-ethnic conflicts that could arise in a nation that has been under a tight grip for generations under a dictatorship that has so far lasted for 42 years.
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