Ban assures Libyans continued support during transition

The international community will continue supporting Libyans and the National Transitional Council (NTC) in this transitional period, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

Reacting to news of the killing of Muammar Gaddafi, Mr. Ban said: “Libya now closes a painful and tragic chapter and starts a new one based on national reconciliation, justice, respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

He urged the people of Libya to come together, as they can only realize the promise of the future through national unity and reconciliation.

“I pay tribute to the Libyan people for their steadfastness and courage through all the pain they endured. I convey the condolences of the United Nations to the families of those who gave their lives in a struggle for freedom. This is the time for healing and rebuilding, and not for revenge,” Mr. Ban said. “The road ahead is full of challenges, but also opportunities. The Libyan people look forward to a democratic political system based on pluralism, respect for women, youth and minority rights, and a peaceful transition of power.”

UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron said that with Gaddafi’s death, people in Libya have an even greater chance “of building themselves a strong and democratic future.”

“I’m proud of the role that Britain has played in helping them to bring that about and I pay tribute to the bravery of the Libyans who have helped to liberate their country. We will help them, we will work with them,” he added.

The Vatican said Col Gaddafi’s death marks the end of a “long and tragic phase of a brutal struggle to bring down a harsh and oppressive regime.”

Describing the death as a “dramatic event”, the Vatican said it obliges all to “reflect on the immense toll of human suffering which accompanies the affirmation and collapse of any system which is not based on the respect and dignity of the human person, but rather on the prevailing affirmation of power.”

The Holy See has now officially recognized the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

"It is hoped now that the Libyan people might be spared further violence due to a spirit of revenge, and that the new leaders can undertake as soon possible efforts necessary for bringing peace and rebuilding in a spirit of solidarity, based on justice and the rule of law. May the international community also be committed to generously helping in the rebuilding of the nation,” the Vatican said.

It is still not clear how Col Gaddafi died. Acting Libya’s Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said he was shot in the head in an exchange of fire between Gaddafi loyalists and NTC fighters following his capture in his hometown of Sirte on 20th October. Video footage suggests he was dragged through the streets.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has called for a full investigation into the killing. Her spokesman Rupert Colville told the BBC that Col Gaddafi's death could have been illegal. "There are two videos out there, one showing him alive and one showing him dead and there are four or five different versions of what happened in between those two cell phone videos. That obviously raises very, very major concerns," he said.