U.S. Ambassador Gene Cretz today stressed that the vision of a new Libya has been a democratic one.
“Well, I don’t know, we don’t know right yet what that democratic process will look like at the end of the day, but what we do know is that in the first few weeks of the flush of freedom in Benghazi and the areas under the TNC and opposition rule when they broke free from Qadhafi in those first few weeks and months, we saw people coming out into the streets calling for democracy.” – Mr. Cretz
He said the Libyan people are debating in the streets the meaning of a constitution. He added that the Libyans are helping each other. They are developing a civil society of nongovernmental organizations. He stressed that the Libyan people are pretty much know the kind of democracy that they want to create, and it will be a Libyan democracy.
“But we’ll have to wait and see what it is. We will help them in whatever way they want, but it has to be a Libyan-led and a Libyan-devised process.” -Mr. Cretz
He noted that the past six months have been extremely difficult. He said it’s not over yet. He highlighted that the Libyan people, along with the leadership of the TNC, with Mr. Mustafa Jalil and Mahmoud Jibril, have made extraordinary strides in bringing this revolution to where it is.
“And I think that all of us who have been able to support the Libyans in their quest are extremely proud and at once also admire the courage that they have shown during these past six months.” – Mr. Cretz
