London, 13 September:
The UK’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, has congratulated Mustafa Abushagur on his election . . .[restrict]on Thursday evening by the General National Congress as Libya’s next prime minister.
“Through his long and active opposition to Qaddafi’s regime and his tireless work over the past months for the Transitional Government as first Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Abushagur has demonstrated his commitment to building a free, secure and prosperous Libya,” said Burt. “The vote and democratic process which led to his election shows the Libyan people’s determination to press ahead with political transition.
He noted, however, the scale of the task facing the prime minister-elect.
“As Tuesday evening’s appalling attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi shows, the new Libyan Prime Minister faces a number of urgent and difficult challenges as the country looks to rebuild.”
The UK would provide “all the support and assistance” it could to Libya, the minister said, as the country sought to build “a secure and prosperous future based on tolerance and freedom from violence.”
Meanwhile, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ahs issued a travel warning to UK citizens, telling them to avoid going to Benghazi.
[/restrict]
