US to sound out Libya rebels on transition needs

A Libyan celebrates with the new Libyan flag
at the Martyrs Square in downtown Tripoli
© AFP Francisco Leong

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left for international talks in Paris aimed at sounding out Libyan rebels on what US officials call their “enormous” needs in establishing a new government.

What is at stake, US officials say, is how well the rebels bring security to the capital Tripoli and other war-torn areas, restore services like water, deal with fallen but fugitive strongman Moamer Kadhafi, and prepare for democratic rule.

The “credibility” of the National Transitional Council (NTC), the political umbrella for the rebels, rests on such achievements, a senior US official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.

The NTC is recognized by the United States and dozens of other countries as Libya’s interim governing authority.

Clinton’s participation in what has been dubbed the “Friends of Libya” conference comes as the rebels, following a six-month armed revolt, try to wipe out the last pockets of resistance from Kadhafi loyalists.

US officials say the conference, broader than the preceding “Libya Contact Group” meetings, will hear a report from the NTC on its needs in the areas of governance, security, humanitarian aid, and economic reconstruction.

Urgent needs in Tripoli — where Kadhafi forces were overrun in fierce battles more than a week ago — are water, food, gasoline and electricity, officials say.

“The needs are enormous. Kadhafi has left them… with a shattered country,” the US official said.

Having called for $5 billion, the NTC will likely press for more funds after $3.1 billion in Libyan assets frozen in the United States and Britain were released in the last two weeks by decisions at the United Nations.

The funds will pay for UN programs, energy bills, health, education and food, as well as to pay the salaries of public sector workers over the Eid holiday to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting month.
US officials said the international community expects to focus more on releasing frozen assets and helping revive Libya’s oil industry rather than drum up support from donor countries.

“I don’t expect there’s going to be a huge donor type issue,” the senior US official said.

However, he said it might be necessary to arrange bridge loans via the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund in order to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.

The official said there were still threats to peace and stability in Libya as Kadhafi loyalists have holed up in both Sirte, Kadhafi’s hometown, and Sabha, the desert stronghold of the Libyan leader’s clan.

Kadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam on Wednesday warned in an audio message on a Syria-based television channel against a rebel attack on Sirte.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Kadhafi, Seif al-Islam and another son remain unknown.

“You have Kadhafi and two of his most dangerous sons, Mutassim and Seif, still at large. That in any distance would pose a danger,” the official said.

Seif al-Islam said on Wednesday that he was still in Tripoli and that the fight against rebels who captured the capital last week would go on.

In London, ITV News reported that British special forces soldiers are in Libya hunting for Kadhafi, who they believe is still in the country after neighboring Algeria denied him entry.

US officials will also sound out the rebels on their plans for a political transformation they hope will be inclusive and democratic.

NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil promised on August 16 to hand over power to an elected assembly within eight months of the collapse of Kadhafi’s regime, as he sketched out the country’s path to democracy.