Libya's new leader apologizes at U.N.

for Gaddafi crimes Michelle Nichols, Reuters 27 September, 2012 UNITED NATIONS | Reuters! " #ib$%&s 'e(l$ %ppoi'te) le%)er %polo*i+e) %t the U'ite) N%tio's o' Thurs)%$ ,or the crimes o, ouste) )ict%tor Mu%mm%r -%))%,i %') tol) critics th%t supporti'* the Ar%b Spri'* (%s (orth it. Duri'* his %))ress to the U.N. -e'er%l Assembl$, Moh%mme) M%*%rie,, le%)er o, #ib$%&s ruli'* '%tio'%l co'*ress, s%i) the #ib$%' people (ere mo)er%te %') the cou'tr$ (oul) 'e/er be home to e0tremist *roups. 1I st%') be,ore $ou to)%$, be,ore the e'tire (orl), to %polo*i+e ,or %ll the h%rm, %ll the crimes committe) b$ th%t )espot %*%i'st so m%'$ i''oce'ts, to %polo*i+e ,or the e0tortio' %') terrorism he mete) out o' so m%'$ st%tes,1 M%*%rie, s%i). A NATO bombi'* c%mp%i*' l%st $e%r, %ppro/e) b$ the U.N. Securit$ 2ou'cil, helpe) u')erpi' %' 1Ar%b Spri'*1 uprisi'* th%t e')e) -%))%,i&s )ict%torship %') ,i'%ll$ cl%ime) his li,e i' October. 1Some (o')er (%s the Ar%b Spri'* (orth$ o, support31 s%i) M%*%rie,. 1To them, I (oul) s%$ (oul) it h%/e bee' better ,or the corrupt )ict%tori%l re*imes to rem%i' i' pl%ce ,or )ec%)es more, oppressi'* %') .... /iol%ti'* some o, the most ,u')%me't%l hum%' ri*hts3 Shoul) the$ h%/e bee' %llo(e) to co'ti'ue pill%*i'* the (e%lth o, the people, le%)i'* some ... to e0tremism31 he s%i). The 4illi'* o, U.S. Amb%ss%)or 2hristopher Ste/e's %') three other Americ%'s i' (h%t 5%shi'*to' h%s c%lle) % 1terrorist1 %tt%c4 o' the U.S. missio' i' 6e'*h%+i o' September 11 h%s hei*hte'e) 5ester' co'cer's %bout the po(er o, Isl%mist milit%'ts i' #ib$%. M%*%rie, )escribe) the )e%ths o, the Americ%'s %s % 1loss ,or #ib$%.1 1This c%t%strophe (ill o'l$ i'cre%se our soli)%rit$ to e'tre'ch the hopes %') ob7ecti/es i' (hich Amb%ss%)or 2hris Ste/e's belie/e). 5e sh%ll )e,e%t the plots o, the b%c4(%r) terrorists (ho )o 'ot represe't #ib$%,1 he s%i). At less th%' h%l, %' hour lo'*, M%*%rie,&s speech (%s shorter %') less )r%m%tic th%' -%))%,i&s o'e %') o'l$ %ppe%r%'ce %t the U.N. -e'er%l Assembl$ i' 2008, (he' he spo4e ,or 1 hour %') 9: mi'utes. -%))%,i touche) o' sub7ects r%'*i'* ,rom the %ss%ssi'%tio' o, U.S. ;resi)e't <oh' =. >e''e)$, the U.S. i'/%sio' o, -re'%)% %') ,ree me)ici'e ,or the (orl)&s chil)re'. ?imb%b(e%' ;resi)e't Robert Mu*%be s%i) o' 5e)'es)%$ the )e%th o, -%))%,i (%s %s tr%*ic %s th%t o, Ste/e's, %s he )eli/ere) % sc%thi'* criti@ue o, U.S., U.N. %') NATO %ctio's. Ae s%i) the U.N. Securit$ 2ou'cil h%) %llo(e) itsel, to be 1%buse)1 l%st $e%r b$ %uthori+i'* 1%ll 'ecess%r$ me%sures1 " )iplom%tic co)e ,or milit%r$ i'ter/e'tio' " to protect ci/ili%'s i' #ib$% i' the NATO oper%tio' th%t e/e'tu%ll$ topple) -%))%,i&s *o/er'me't %') le) to his )e%th %t the h%')s o, rebels. E)iti'* b$ Moh%mm%) ?%r*h%m! B Reuters, 2012

2ol. Mu%mm%r el"C%))%,i ser/e) %s #ib$%Ds )ict%tor ,or % term th%t l%ste) o/er E0 $e%rs. I' Au*ust 2011 he (%s ,orce) out o, po(er, bri'*i'* %' e') to his re*ime %,ter )ec%)es o, oppressio'. Ais o/erthro( resulte) %,ter pro" )emocr%c$ protests @uic4l$ esc%l%te) %') bec%me /iole't, le%)i'* to % si0 mo'th %rme) stru**le b$ #ib$%' rebels supporte) b$ NATO %irstri4es. ;e%ce,ul protests %*%i'st the C%)h%,i re*ime be*%' i' =ebru%r$ 2011 %') (ere met (ith /iole't resist%'ce ,rom the *o/er'me't. Or)i'%r$ citi+e's be*%' t%4i'* up %rms i' hopes o, ,reei'* themsel/es ,rom the oppressi/e re*ime. The resist%'ce @uic4l$ tur'e) i'to %' %rme) rebellio' (ith 'umerous #ib$%' )iplom%ts %') milit%r$ perso''el )e,ecti'* )ue to i'cre%si'*l$ /iole't re%ctio's b$ the re*ime. C%)h%,i (%s 4ille) i' October 2011 ,ollo(i'* %' %mbush o, his co'/o$ (hile he (%s %ttempti'* to esc%pe. Althou*h the brut%l h%') th%t hel) the cou'tr$ to*ether h%s bee' remo/e), % post C%)h%,i #ib$% 'o( ,i')s itsel, i' % st%te o, )is%rr%$, %s trib%l ri/%lries suppresse) u')er C%)h%,i h%/e erupte) %') resulte) i' /iole't 4illi'*s. I' M%rch 2012 trib%l cl%shes i' the souther' cit$ o, S%bh% c%use) the )e%ths o, 1E7 people. I' the (ester' to(' o, T%(er*h%, %' e'tire popul%tio' o, bl%c4 #ib$%'s (%s e/icte) b$ ,i*hters ,rom % 'ei*hbori'* cit$. Fiole'ce %*%i'st 6l%c4 #ib$%'s h%s co'ti'ue) %s hu')re)s h%/e bee' %rreste) %') ch%r*e) (ith bei'* ,ormer C%)h%,i supporters. Some le%)ers i' the e%ster' p%rt o, the cou'tr$, (hich co't%i's the m%7orit$ o, the oil, sou*ht to rem%i' %uto'omous ,rom the ce'tr%l *o/er'me't, le%)i'* to /iole't cl%shes i' 6e'*h%+i. Trib%l te'sio's )%te b%c4 to the )%$s be,ore C%)h%,i, %') (ere e0ploite) b$ his )i/i)e %') rule policies. =i*hti'* co'ti'ues bet(ee' the ?i't%' %') the M%sh%sh$%, (hose te'sio's ori*i'%te) (he' C%)h%,i *%/e trib%l l%') th%t (%s e0propri%te) ,rom o'e tribe to the other. 90,000 ci/ili%'s ,rom the to(' o, Misr%t% (ere e/icte) )ue to %lle*%tio's o, r%pe, mur)er, torture %') (or4i'* %*%i'st the rebel %rm$. The T%(er*h%'s, )esce')%'ts o, sl%/es, m%4e up % sm%ll mi'orit$ i' Misr%t% %') pre/iousl$ recei/e) some protectio' u')er the C%)h%,i re*ime. The$ cl%im to be i''oce't o, ch%r*es o, r%pe, mur)er %') torture but h%/e su,,ere) brut%l re/e'*e %t the h%')s o, the rebels. Their rece't e/ictio' is s%i) to be i' ret%li%tio' ,or supporti'* the re*ime %') %lso bec%use the rebels (%'t their l%'). The$ rem%i' % )ispl%ce) people i' Gliber%te)H #ib$%. Supporters o, C%))%,i h%/e ,le) i'to M%li, (here the$ h%/e 'o( t%4e' o/er the 'orther' h%l, o, th%t cou'tr$, %') %re imposi'* brut%l Isl%mist rule. The militi% (ho o/erthre( C%)h%,iDs re*ime, h%/e re,use) to )is%rm %') 'o( hi')er the '%tio'Ds pro*ress. De%)l$ street shooti'*s %') the rece't 4i)'%ppi'* o, t(o members o, the ruli'* Tr%'sitio'%l N%tio'%l 2ou'cil, m%)e it )i,,icult ,or electio's to *o ,or(%r). 5ee4s be,ore the sche)ule) electio's, the he%)@u%rters o, #ib$%Ds i'terim prime mi'ster" Ab)el R%him el">eeb, (%s %tt%c4e) b$ %rme) milit%'ts. This politic%l te'sio' (%s i' respo'se to %

rece't )ecisio' m%)e b$ trib%l le%)ers to rei'st%te the ,e)er%l *o/er'me't structure (hich (oul) cre%te three st%tesI Tripolit%'i% i' the (est, =e++%' i' the south %') 6%r@% i' the e%st. This )ecisio' (%s met (ith )iss%tis,%ctio', pre)omi'%tel$ b$ Tripoli, )ue to ,e%rs o, the )ismemberme't o, #ib$% %') the loss o, oil (e%lth. Trib%l militi%s h%/e co'ti'ue) to oppose ,orm%tio' o, % ce'tr%l *o/er'me't%l s$stem. O' <u'e 7th % loc%l militi%, Sei, el"Isl%m, loc%te) i' the cit$ o, ?i't%' )et%i'e) ,our st%,, members o, the I'ter'%tio'%l 2rimi'%l 2ourt, (ho h%/e si'ce bee' rele%se). N%tio'%l electio's (ere ,i'%ll$ hel) o' <ul$ 7 th 2012, %') (ere *e'er%ll$ ,ree. The$ %re % hope,ul step ,or(%r) to(%r) % )emocr%tic 'e( #ib$%. The comi'* $e%rs (ill re/e%l (hether the cou'tr$ (ill be %ble to u'i,$ itsel, %') put %si)e eth'ic te'sio's. =%ilure to u'i,$ (ill result i' % ,%ile) st%te %') % co'ti'u%tio' o, eth'ic cl%shes. #ib$% rem%i's )i/i)e) b$ tribe %') eth'icit$.