Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the transitional government leader, addressed a rowdy crowd of thousands in Martyrs Square in central Tripoli, a site that until recently was famous for pro-Gadhafi rallies. Flanked by a few dozen revolutionary leaders in their largest public gathering since rebel forces stormed into the capital on Aug. 21, he called on Libyans to build a state based on the rule of law.
“No retribution, no taking matters into your own hands and no oppression. I hope that the revolution will not stumble because of any of these things,” he said.
“We will not accept any extremist ideology, on the right or the left,” Mr. Abdul-Jalil added. “We are a Muslim people, for a moderate Islam, and will stay on this road.”
“We strive for a state of the law, for a state of prosperity, for a state that will have Islamic sharia law the basis of legislation.”
The speech capped a day of new international recognition of the rebel National Transitional Council as Libya’s legitimate government, as well as reminders that Col. Gadhafi and his followers remain a threat to that government’s stability.
Earlier, forces loyal to Col. Gadhafi attacked an important oil refinery at the Mediterranean port of Ras Lanuf, and the transitional government said at least 15 anti-Gadhafi fighters had died. But in a hopeful sign for the council, China, the last major power to withhold recognition of its legitimacy, officially changed positions and accepted it.
Abdulrahman Busin, a spokesman for the council’s military operations, said the loyalist attack on Ras Lanuf was apparently a response to news that the council had taken steps to restart oil production, which had been one of the country’s major contributors of income before the conflict began. He said that forces allied with the council were still fighting loyalists to bring an industrial area in Ras Lanuf back under control. “We have them surrounded,” he said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment