NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil talks post-Gaddafi Libya

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council [NTC], has said that the cost of getting rid of Col Muammar Gaddafi, and of toppling his regime, has been exorbitant by all criteria. This is in reference to the thousands of killed, wounded, and missing as a result of the military operations fought by the revolutionaries along the past eight months to topple Gaddafi’s regime.

In an interview via the telephone with Asharq Al-Awsat from the NTC headquarters in Benghazi, Abdul-Jalil hints at his displeasure with the way in which Gaddafi was killed at his arrest in his birthplace in Sirte. Abdul-Jalil says that personally he would have preferred to arrest Gaddafi and send him to trial, rather than killing him. He denies that Gaddafi’s corpse was mutilated. Abdul-Jalil reveals that Gaddafi might have died as a result of shooting by one of his armed companions or the armed revolutionaries, who succeeded in besieging him at the last moments before his fall in Sirte, where he was hiding.

Abdul-Jalil urges Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to respond to the aspirations of their two peoples by officially abandoning power. He considers that the era of dictatorships in the Arab world is over, and that the rulers have to take this into consideration.

The following is the text of the interview:

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What comes after the announcement of the Liberation of Libya?

[Abdul-Jalil] Of course we have presented a road map since March 2011 for the transitional period after the liberation. It is a clear map, the world knows it, and the media organs have relayed it.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Who has been selected to occupy the post of prime minister of the new government?

[Abdul-Jalil] No one has been agreed upon yet. Within a month after the announcement of the liberation, a transitional government will be formed. God willing, everything will be done on time.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is there no chance that Mr Jibril will return to his post again?

[Abdul-Jalil] I believe so.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you satisfied with the way in which Gaddafi was killed?

[Abdul-Jalil] Everything is God Almighty’s will. God has ordained, and what He wants, He does.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] But many countries and human rights organizations have criticized mutilating his corpse in this way. You in the past have threatened to resign if any such things happened?

[Abdul-Jalil] First of all, his corpse was not mutilated. He was arrested, this arrest was sudden, he was carrying arms, and there was an exchange of fire; perhaps he was wounded by one of the revolutionaries, or by one of his aides whom he asked to kill him so that he would not be captured. Perhaps Muammar Gaddafi himself chose this end.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] But is this the fate or what you personally wished for him?

[Abdul-Jalil] I would rather have had him put on trial, but I have expected and I was certain that he had pride that would always make him defend himself, and not surrender.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] After the death of Gaddafi, are you going to ask Niger and Algeria to hand over the rest of his family, who are residing there?

[Abdul-Jalil] Yes.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Have you already submitted an official request for this?

[Abdul-Jalil] With regard to the Niger Government, we have submitted an official request. With regard to the Algerian Government, God willing, we will do so by the middle of next week.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you expect Algeria to reply, as its stance is well known?

[Abdul-Jalil] We have to follow the diplomatic ways, the amicable ways, and every way that leads us to our aim.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Eight months have passed since the eruption of the revolution on 17 February 2011 until now. How has this period been for you?

[Abdul-Jalil] Praise be to God, this stage is a gift, which God Almighty wanted to be this way; it has included many difficult hours, and many happy hours. The fact is that what the fighting heroes have offered at the fighting fronts was the basis of this revolution.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] But the bill of getting rid of Gaddafi has been exorbitant?

[Abdul-Jalil] Of course it certainly has been exorbitant.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are there final statistics of the numbers of those killed, wounded, and missing?

[Abdul-Jalil] I cannot confirm this categorically, but the number of the martyrs exceeds 20,000, and the number of the wounded according to the current statistics exceeds 50,000; as for the missing, so far, we cannot count them, because even the commanders of the Gaddafi’s battalions have declared their sons as missing.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you fear a security chaos in Tripoli? Has there been a controversy over the location of the declaration of liberation, is it going to be Tripoli, Misrata, of Benghazi?

[Abdul-Jalil] First of all, the constitutional declaration is clear on this issue. With regard to the last point, the NTC has adopted Benghazi as temporary headquarters until the liberation of the capital Tripoli. When Libya is completely liberated, we will announce the Liberation, and then the NTC as a whole will move to Tripoli, i.e. the announcement of the liberation will take place from Benghazi. There is no controversy or dispute over this issue. As for security, I wager on the Libyans. Everything will be in the interest of the Libyan people.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you not fear that the Libyan street will be divided between the Islamists and the liberals?

[Abdul-Jalil] Not at all, I am confident that this will not happen. I have no fears in this respect.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What do you say now to the Libyan people, and to the international and the Arab worlds?

[Abdul-Jalil] I say to the Libyan people: “Be patient, persevere, stand fast, and fear God, may you succeed.” Patience is the basis of everything. We have many requirements, and we have priorities. What we ask the Libyan people is to be patient. As for the Arab world, I say that the era of dictatorships has passed, and all the rulers ought to take this into consideration, and to relinquish their thrones, on which they have been sitting for years, and through which they have oppressed their peoples. Perhaps some of them are similar to Muammar Gaddafi, and it will not be easy to get rid of them. We urge the Syrian President (Bashar al-Assad) and the Yemeni President (Ali Abdullah Saleh) to respond to the demands of their peoples

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What are the guarantees that there will not be another “Gaddafi” in Libya?

[Abdul-Jalil] The guarantees come from the Libyans themselves, as they ought not to allow another “Gaddafi” to come after this quandary in which they have lived for more than 40 years.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Certainly Libya needs a huge development plan?

[Abdul-Jalil] Yes, certainly the least that Libya needs is not less than four or five years to return to what it was before the 1969 coup d’etat.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] In the upcoming stage, how are you going to deal with the countries that supported Gaddafi at some point in time?

[Abdul-Jalil] We will try to extend bridges of peace and amicability with all countries, whether they have supported Muammar Gaddafi, or the revolution. However, there will be priority given to the countries that have offered a great deal to this revolution.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Perhaps someone might ask you, and I know your good character, whether you have dreams of power, and desire to rule, especially as the throne is vacant?

[Abdul-Jalil] Never, this has never occurred to me.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you going to resign from your post after you conclude your mission?

[Abdul-Jalil] I wish I can do this, even tomorrow. However, this is impossible particularly during this period.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you satisfied with what you have achieved all along the past eight months?

[Abdul-Jalil] To some extent.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] But it seems that your family has paid an exorbitant price for your political preoccupation?

[Abdul-Jalil] Yes, certainly.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] But you do not regret this?

[Abdul-Jalil] No, this is God Almighty’s will. This is a transitional stage, and whoever is patient God Almighty will reward him greatly.