New Libya Takes Different Track

By Garibov Konstantin

Libya’s new government is asking NATO to stay while at the same time planning to take a different route from Europe. The alliance has faced this controversy right after Gaddafi’s burial in Sahara.

NATO was planning to end its Libya operation shortly but the National Transitional Council is not yet ready to take responsibility for the country’s security and has asked the alliance to extend the mission for a month. The alliance received the request cautiously as it is running out of fuel and ammunition allocated to the campaign. Moreover, France and the UK, which launched the operation, now admit that they would have hardly made it without US support.

Even if NATO stays in the region the situation will get more complicated, the head of the International Institute for Political Expertise, Evgeny Minchenko, says

“I believe that NATO units will leave Libya shortly and will be replaced by private military companies like it happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. This will be funded from Libya’s budget.”

Oil-rich Libya, like Iraq, may become the treasure trove of oil, and Arab and Muslim countries are beginning to realize this. Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit the nail on the head when he said that NATO countries had come to Libya to plunder and carve up the country’s natural resources and oil.

The new government proclaimed Libya Islamic and Sharia-based too soon as this has nothing in common with its pledges to the West made in exchange for its help in toppling Gaddafi. The NTC has promised to bring the country’s law in line with the European norms. However, the rebels have already managed to break even Islamic traditions by burying Gaddafi several days after his death rather than before the sunset of his last day. This will be a serious argument against the new government for the true Muslims. The West, in turn, has condemned stoning as “execution”. Russia’s Ex-Ambassador to Libya Veniamin Popov sees serious obstacles to the creation of a democratic and legitimate government in the country

“The issue of Libya’s future powers that be is complicated. Pro-Gaddafists are still active and the current government is concerned with taking the situation under control. Libya will be seeing political aftershocks for a long time and continue to experience instability.”

The young rebels have become threat number 1 after Gaddafi’s elimination. If the fighters fail to integrate into the society, armed struggle may remain their only possible self expression. Young Libyans are already fond of ravaging Gaddafi’s weapon warehouses.