The US and more than 30 other nations on Friday formally recognized Libya’s main opposition group as the country’s legitimate government, giving the rebel movement a major boost.
The decision, which declared Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s regime no longer legitimate, gives his foes greater credibility and will potentially free up billions in cash that the rebels fighting Libyan forces urgently need.
The frontlines in the Libyan civil war have largely stagnated since the popular uprising seeking to oust Qaddafi broke out in -February. Rebels, backed by NATO’s air force bombings, control much of the country’s east and pockets in the west. However, Qaddafi controls the rest from his stronghold in Tripoli, the capital.
Foreign ministers and other representatives of the so-called Contact Group on Libya said in a statement on Friday that the “Qaddafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya.” They said the Libyan strongman and certain members of his family must go.
“The Contact Group has sent an unequivocal message to Qaddafi: that he has no legitimacy and there is no future for Libya with him in power. He must go and go now,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
The nations said they would deal with Libya’s main opposition group, the National Transitional Council (NTC), as “the legitimate governing authority in Libya” until an interim authority is in place that will organize free and fair elections.
In addition to the US, the 32-nation Contact Group on Libya includes members of NATO, the EU and the Arab League.
Diplomatic recognition of the foes of Qaddafi means that the US will soon be able to fund the opposition with some of the more than US$30 billion in the Qaddafi regime’s assets that are frozen in US banks. Other countries holding billions more in such assets will be able to do the same.
Contact Group representatives broke into spontaneous applause when US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her nation’s recognition of the NTC, according to US officials.
Rebel spokesman Mahmoud Shammam welcomed the NTC’s recognition and called on other nations to deliver on a promise to release hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to the opposition.
“Funds, funds, funds,” Shammam said, stressing the opposition’s demand.
It remained unclear on Friday whether the unfrozen assets could be used to purchase arms or if some restrictions would still apply.
Meanwhile, the council’s oil minister said Libya could be exporting 1 million barrels of oil a day within three to four months of Qaddafi’s departure. He said the opposition hopes to hold elections within a year and resume oil exports very soon, saying the damage to oil facilities has been minimal and repaired.
Clinton said the council won international recognition after giving assurances it would respect human rights and presenting a plan on how to pave the way to a truly democratic Libyan government.
She said the assurances included upholding the group’s international obligations, pursuing a democratic reform process that is both geographically and politically inclusive and dispersing funds for the benefit of the Libyan people.
The US and others were impressed by the progress the NTC has made in laying the groundwork for a successful transition to a Libya that protects the rights of all its citizens, including women and minority groups, diplomats said.
Asked why it took so long to recognize the NTC, Clinton said the US administration analyzed the situation to make sure that the NTC’s actions are in accord with its statements.
“We really have acted in warp time in diplomatic terms, but we took our time to make sure that we were doing so based on our best possible assessments,” Clinton said.
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