Cameron Joins Sarkozy to Urge Qaddafi Departure, Process of Reconciliation
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Muammar Qaddafi to go as rebels flooded into Tripoli and the Libyan leader’s regime collapsed.
“Qaddafi must stop fighting, without conditions -- and clearly show that he has given up any claim to control Libya,” Cameron said in a statement outside his residence in central London after breaking off a vacation in southwest England to chair a meeting of the National Security Council. “His regime is falling apart and in full retreat.”
Sarkozy, who spoke today to Mahmoud Jibril, one of the leaders of the rebels’ National Transitional Council, called on Libyans to rally behind the “legitimate authorities” in a “spirit of reconciliation and unity,” according to a statement released by the Elysee Palace in Paris. The French president said forces loyal to Qaddafi should lay down their arms and reject his “cynical and criminal blindness.”
Cameron and Sarkozy led the drive earlier this year to secure a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning attacks by Qaddafi’s military on civilians and sanctioning military action. NATO-led bombing of the Libyan leader’s forces began on March 19 and will continue “as long as it is needed,” Cameron told reporters.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also urged Qaddafi to surrender and said his government backs the rebels, according to an e-mailed statement.
‘No Complacency’
Cameron, who warned of “difficult days ahead,” said the U.K. will move to release frozen Libyan assets and assist the North African country’s opposition in forming a government in the transition to democracy. Qaddafi, in power for 42 years, should face justice for his crimes, though what happens to him is a matter for the Libyan people, the prime minister said.
The British premier said there is still “extremely fierce” fighting in Tripoli and “there can be no complacency” over the outcome.
“There will undoubtedly be difficult days ahead,” Cameron said. “No transition is ever smooth or easy. But today the Arab spring is a step further away from oppression and dictatorship and a step closer to freedom and democracy. The Libyan people are closer to their dream of a better future.”
‘Avoiding Reprisals’
Cameron spoke by phone later to Mustafa Abdel Jalil, another leader of the rebel council, and they agreed on “the need to continue to respect human rights through the transition process,” the prime minister’s office said in an e-mailed statement.
In his statement, Cameron said he’d discussed with Jalil last week the importance of “avoiding reprisals and making sure all parts of Libya can share in the country’s future.”
Foreign Secretary William Hague is returning to the U.K. to coordinate assistance for Libya over the next week and the U.K. will work in international institutions to smooth Libya’s path to democracy, Cameron said. Sarkozy invited Jibril to Paris on Aug. 24.
Cameron spoke to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to discuss the role the international body can play in stabilizing Libya and the action needed to unfreeze the country’s assets, the prime minister’s spokeswoman, Vickie Sheriff, told reporters in London.
It’s “unlikely” that U.K. soldiers will be deployed to Libya, Sheriff said. “We don’t know what extra support the NTC may require, but it’s not expected that British troops will be in Libya,” Sheriff said. “That’s never been an aim.”
U.K. military advisers to the rebels will remain in Libya “for the time being,” she said.
Britain’s NSC will meet again tomorrow to discuss Libya and Cameron may preside over the meeting, depending on developments.
“He’s looking to return to his family at some point, but while events are fast-moving he’s in London and monitoring the situation,” Sheriff said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net
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