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Libya without Gaddafi

In the capture of the city of Sirte the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was injured, captured and died of wounds later

MOSCOW, October 21 (Itar-Tass) —The civil war in Libya actually ended on Thursday. In the capture of the city of Sirte the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was injured, captured and died of wounds later. Gaddafi has ruled the country for more than 40 years. The countries, which played a vital role in the overthrow of Gaddafi’s rule, will decide on Libya’s future after the death of the colonel, rather than new authorities in the country, the experts noted. Russia will have to agree with these countries on the country to be involved in the division of Libyan rich resources.

Muammar Gaddafi’s death actually means the end to the civil war in Libya, the Kommersant writes. According to the experts, further resistance of Gaddafi’s supporters is senseless. None of Gaddafi’s sons, who stayed alive or being at large, can replace him. No major resistance spots remained in the country. Now the Transitional National Council controls almost all the territory of the country, except for deserted southern districts, where the Touaregs are ruling. The Touaregs stayed loyal to Gaddafi until recently.

After Gaddafi’s death the division of Libyan riches is becoming more topical, the newspaper noted. The oil reserves (29.5 billion barrels) and the gas reserves (1.6 trillion cubic meters) have the highest value in the country. The countries, which contributed actively in the overthrow of Gaddafi’s rule, namely Great Britain, France, the United States, Italy and Qatar, are the first to seek contracts with new authorities.

Russian interests in Libya are not limited to the energy carriers. Gazprom has the stakes in the deposits and concessions with the reserves of 300 billion cubic meters of gas and 110 million tons of oil. In January the company signed an agreement with Italy’s ENI, under which the gas giant has purchased a 16.5% stake at the Elephant deposit for 178 million dollars. Tatneft was making geological prospecting at four deposits. The Russian Railways Company (RZD) has implemented a project at the cost of 2.2 billion euros to build the Sirte-Benghazi highway. Rosoboronexport agreed on weapons supplies to Libya at the cost of 1.8 billon dollars in the previous year.

The experts believe that Moscow will have to negotiate not with new Libyan authorities. “The decisions will be taken in the countries, thanks to which the Transitional National Council came to power,” the editor-in-chief of the Russia in Global Politics magazine Fyodor Lukyanov told the Kommersant. “In the best case Western companies will invite Russian companies as partners. British, French and Italian companies did not put their money, reputation and other things at risk in order to share the Libyan market with the companies from the countries, which were not involved in the coalition,” Lukyanov noted.

Chairman of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov quoted by the Nezavisimaya Gazeta said, “Libya’s problem is not the problem of life or death of Gaddafi.” “This is the problem in the consolidation of a multicolored Libyan society and making the armed forces stronger, because a guerilla war against the Transitional National Council is probable in the country without the colonel as well. NATO will not deliver endless air strikes,” he underlined.

“It is quite far to the end of the crisis” in Libya, the Russian senator said. “It is clear that the parties to the conflict are very hard-fought. However, the Transitional National Council will have to sit at the table of negotiations with the tribes, liberals, emigrants, members of the royal dynasty and even survived Gaddafi’s supporters,” Margelov believes.

The details of the death of the former Libyan leaders require investigation, the Vedomosti noted. Gaddafi’s recent associates, which sided with the opposition, or external forces, which do not want undesirable documents and information about their participation in the crimes of the previous rule to be made public, are interested in the persecution of the former dictator without trial. Such actions look like revenge and question the legitimacy of new authorities. On the contrary, an open trial against the dictator and his associates will deprive the previous rule of its romantic and (or) a great power image. A clear-cut legal assessment of the crimes during the previous rule gives one more guarantee that these crimes will not recur.

The trial against Gaddafi’s associates is needed, the newspaper believes. It would be the best decision to hold an international tribunal on Libya that will observe strictly the law principles, particularly in the rivalry of the litigating parties. The tribunal should give an assessment to Gaddafi’s foreign political partners, which turned a blind eye on his crimes.