Libyans will not tolerate a return to thuggery: John Kerry

Tripoli, 10 October 2013:

“Libyan did not risk their lives in their 2011 revolution to tolerate a return to thuggery” said US Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement issued this evening.

After welcoming Zeidan’s release and condemning “the events of the last 24 hours that captured the attention of the world” Kerry went on to warn: “If a free people are going to succeed in forging a democratic, secure, and prosperous country with a government based on the rule of law and respect for human rights, then there can be no place for this kind of violence in the new Libya”.

Vowing that the US would continue to helpLibya built security and good governance, he concluded: “In fact, today’s events only underscore the need to work with Prime Minister Zeidan and with all of Libya’s friends and allies to help bolster its capacity with greater speed and greater success.”

Meanwhile, for much of today,  a small crisis group of the Italian cabinet was in emergency session, monitoring the events in Libya. A similar meeting at the headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Rome was also been following events on the ground.

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