Obama: Gaddafi era over, US will be 'partner'

Libyan rebels US President Barack Obama pressed Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi to "explicitly" give up power and warned exuberant rebels that their struggles were "not over yet." "The Libya that you deserve iswithin your reach," the president said in a message to Libya's insurgents, cautioning "there will be huge challenges ahead" as they replace Gaddafi's iron-fisted four decade rule with a new government.
Looking beyond the Gaddafi era, Obama vowed that Washington will be "a friend and a partner" in the strife-torn country's future and urged "an inclusive transition that leads to a democratic Libya."
"The situation is still very fluid. There remains a degree of uncertainty, and there are still regime elements who pose a threat," Obama warned in a hastily arranged public appearance on as he vacationed on the resort island of Martha's Vineyard.
"Although it's clear that Gaddafi's rule is over, he still has the opportunity to reduce further bloodshed by explicitly relinquishing power to the people of Libya and calling for those forces that continue to fight to lay down their arms for the sake of Libya," said the US president.
Obama also warned Libya's rebels against targeting regime loyalists, urging "a transition that is peaceful, inclusive and just" and noting the movement's National Transitional Council (NTC) leadership "has made clear the rights of all Libyans must be respected."
"True justice will not come from reprisals and violence; it will come from reconciliation and a Libya that allows its citizens to determine their own destiny," Obama said.
"In that effort, the United States will be a friend and a partner," he said, vowing to meet the country's humanitarian needs with "critical supplies" and ultimately support the emerging government with Gaddafi's frozen assets.
Obama said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with her counterparts in key countries and that he had directed the US envoy to the United Nations, Susan Rice, to ask UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to use September's general assembly "to support this important transition."
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor on Monday said he had contacted Libyan rebels but needed more talks to determine how to transfer arrested suspects such as Saif al-Islam Qaddafi to The Hague.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he held talks with the rebels’ National Transitional Council on Monday about its efforts to stabilize the situation in Tripoli and to establish security, and that he was committed to support these efforts.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Muammar Qaddafi, his son Saif and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi in June on charges of crimes against humanity after the UN Security Council referred the Libyan situation to the court in February.
The head of Libya’s rebel national council urged his fighters on Monday to respect the law and not take violent revenge on members of Muammar Qaddafi’s fallen regime, adding that indiscipline among rebels could even lead him to resign.
Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, promised fair trials for Qaddafi and members of his government and called for tolerance, forgiveness and the protection of civilians and of public and private property.
He said the era of Qaddafi was over although final victory would only come when the man who ruled Libya harshly for 42 years was captured.
“We are at the start of a new period in which we will seek to build a state on the same principles that we have committed to and they are freedom, democracy, equality and transparency within a moderate Islamic framework,” said Jalil, once a minister of justice under Qaddafi.
He warned there would be problems ahead. “Libyans must know that the coming period will not be a bed of roses. We face many challenges and responsibilities,” he said.
On the political front, Abdel Jalil told Al Arabiya that his ad hoc government was preparing to move to Tripoli but that the pockets of resistance were delaying this.
Rebel military spokesman Mohammed Zawiwa told AFP the rebels seized control Monday of the state broadcaster in Tripoli.
“All the television stations controlled by the state have stopped transmitting (in Tripoli). Our fighters have gone in and taken control of the facilities,” Zawiwa said.
Elsewhere in Tripoli, rebel fighters packed in trucks, cars and pickups streamed during the day from liberated areas of western Libya towards the symbolic Green Square in the heart of the city, brandishing arms and honking horns, an AFP reporter witnessed.
Rebel chief Abdel Jalil said it was difficult to tell whether Qaddafi has fled the country or remained within, pointing out that he could still be at his compound.
“The area around al-Azizya is still a hot spot. There are forces that continue to fight the rebels. He (Qaddafi) could still be in al-Azizya, or in neighboring areas,” he said.
Different factions and militias are loosely united in the rebel camp. In what could be an ominous sign of things to come, the rebel military chief was assassinated in July in circumstances that have yet to be explained but which raised fears of internecine violence.
Some groups within the rebel movement have refused to bow to a central military chain of command, Jalil said. “These might be the reason or the cause of my resignation,” he added.
“My fear is some actions which are outside the framework of the orders that we get from the leaders, especially those concerning revenge,” he said. “I object strongly to any executions outside the framework of the law.”
Jalil said the whole of Tripoli was not yet under rebel control and he did not know where Qaddafi was hiding.
“We hope that he’s (Muammar Qaddafi) captured alive so he’ll be given a fair trial,” he said.
“Qaddafi will be given a fair trial but I don't know how he will defend himself against his crimes.”
Jalil declined to say when he and other rebel leaders would move to Tripoli.
He also said the national council would favor foreign countries that had supported the rebellion.
“We assure the international community that we are seeking to build solid ties based on mutual respect,” he said, adding that some countries would benefit from “special privileges” in relations with the oil-rich north African country.
On Monday The British Prime Minister David Cameron has released a statement on the violence in Libya, which entailed the following: “I have just come from chairing a meeting of the National Security Council on the situation in Libya. The latest information is that the vast majority of Tripoli is now controlled by free Libyan fighters, although fighting continues – and some of it is extremely fierce. We have no confirmation of Qadhafi’s whereabouts, but at least two of Qadhafi’s sons have been detained."
“His regime is falling apart and in full retreat. Qadhafi must stop fighting, without conditions – and clearly show that he has given up any claim to control Libya. As for his future, that should be a decision for Chairman Jalil and the new Libyan authorities. The situation in Tripoli is clearly very fluid today and there can be no complacency."
“Our task now is to do all we can to support the will of the Libyan people, which is for an effective transition to a free, democratic and inclusive Libya. This will be a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process with broad international support co-ordinated by the UN – and I am in close contact with partners from NATO, the Arab League and with Chairman Jalil himself."
“Clearly the immediate priority today is to establish security in Tripoli. We are working closely with the NTC to support their plans to make sure that happens. I spoke to Chairman Jalil last week, and will be speaking to him again, to agree with him the importance of respecting human rights, avoiding reprisals, and making sure all parts of Libya can share in the country’s future."
“And the wider NATO mission which is to protect civilians – that will continue for as long as it is needed. This morning the National Security Council also discussed the urgent work that needs to be done on medical supplies and humanitarian aid, on diplomatic efforts, and on our work at the UN Security Council. Let me say a word about each. First, on the need to support the medical facilities in Tripoli."
“We have already deployed medical supplies close to where they are needed, and have now released them to the World Health Organisation. In the coming days it will be important to make sure the communications networks, the electricity, the power supplies, fuel and water are maintained or repaired where they need to be. The National Transitional Council have been planning for this for months and we have been helping with that work."
"Diplomatically, we have a strong mission already in Benghazi consisting of Foreign Office, military and aid specialists, and we will establish a British diplomatic presence in Tripoli as soon as it is safe and practical to do so. This will include stabilisation experts who have been planning for this moment with the NTC for months. At the UN, we will also be taking early action in the Security Council to give the new Libyan authorities the legal, diplomatic, political and financial support they need."
 “We will soon be able to release the frozen assets that belong to the Libyan people. The Foreign Secretary is returning and, with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary and the Development Secretary, will coordinate our efforts with the NTC in the week ahead. Six months ago this country took the difficult decision to commit our military to support the people of Libya."
“There will undoubtedly be difficult days ahead. 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. And the Libyan people are closer to their dream of a better future.”
Earlier today, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
called on forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to stop fighting and allow a transition to power in the oil-producing North African state. He added that all U.N. member states are obligated to comply with decisions of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has issued arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and his intelligence chief.
The UN rights body, meanwhile, held an emergency meeting on Monday to press Assad to end a deadly crackdown on dissent, a day after he scoffed at Western calls to quit. “The gravity of on-going violations and the brutal attacks against the peaceful protesters in that country demand your continued attention,” he said, according to AFP.
The UN Human Rights Council met to consider a draft resolution deploring the “indiscriminate attacks” on Syrian demonstrators and seeking an end to the violence, a copy said. The text seen by AFP also underscores the need to send independent investigators to probe the government's crackdown on protesters. “As of today, over 2,200 people have been killed since mass protests began in mid-March, with more than 350 people reportedly killed across Syria since the beginning of Ramadan,” on August 1, said Pillay.
In other news, Libya's revolutionary council will vote to decide whether or not to send beleaguered strongman Muammar Gaddafi's captured son to face international justice.