Lauding Libya success at UN, Obama makes subtle digs at Iraq war
| United Nations, N.Y.
When President Obama told a United Nations high-level meeting on Libya Tuesday that the world鈥檚 decision to intervene in Libya this year was both courageous and correct, the unstated comparison was to Iraq.
鈥淟ibya is a lesson in what the international community can achieve when we stand together as one,鈥� Mr. Obama said in a speech to world leaders gathered to offer support to the North African country鈥檚 new transitional government.
Obama, who as a US senator opposed the Iraq war, drew veiled contrasts between the Libya case and the Iraq war, which the Bush administration launched despite intense international opposition.
The US president said that while it is not always right for outside powers to enter into a country鈥檚 internal conflict, there are also times when conditions 鈥� in particular 鈥渉orrific鈥� human rights violations by a regime 鈥� demand international action.
鈥淚 said at the beginning of this [Libya] process, we cannot and should not intervene every time there is an injustice in the world. Yet it鈥檚 also true,鈥� Obama added, 鈥渢hat there are times where the world could have and should have summoned the will to prevent the killing of innocents on a horrific scale.鈥�
Lauding the UN Security Council鈥檚 March decision to authorize international protection of Libyan civilians threatened by Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi 鈥� a decision NATO interpreted as a green light for military intervention 鈥� Obama said, 鈥淭his time we, through the United Nations, found the courage and the collective will to act.鈥�
Tuesday鈥檚 meeting on Libya followed a decision by the UN General Assembly Friday to turn over Libya鈥檚 UN seat to the country鈥檚 transitional government. Also on Friday, the Security Council voted to create a special mission to assist the new Libyan leaders in setting up a new government and planning for elections, and to help get the Libyan economy running again.
Libya鈥檚 new red, black, and green flag 鈥� which replaces the green standard of the Qaddafi era 鈥� was flying outside UN headquarters on New York鈥檚 East Side as world leaders met inside.
Tuesday鈥檚 meeting was something of an international love fest, with the new Libyan leadership thanking the international community for its intervention on the side of the Libyan people, and international leaders praising the Libyans for committing to creating a democratic government respecting all Libyan鈥檚 basic human rights.
Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of Libya鈥檚 Transitional National Council, thanked the international community for its role in 鈥渢he success of the Libyan revolution,鈥� and he committed to creation of a 鈥渧ibrant鈥� democracy in the place Qaddafi鈥檚 authoritarian regime.
Qaddafi chose the occasion to release an audiotape in which he mocked the country鈥檚 new transitional government as a 鈥渃harade.鈥�
Mr. Jalil also claimed that 25,000 Libyans died in the eight-month conflict, but he assured world leaders that any captured loyalists and officials of the Qaddafi regime would receive fair trials.
Despite the mutual back-slapping and smiles all around in New York, the road ahead for Libya is likely to be a steep one, many regional analysts say. Concerns are growing about the role the country鈥檚 Islamists are likely to play 鈥� both in the transitional government and in any elected government 鈥� while some Libyan women worry that a broadly representative government could ironically mean fewer rights than what they enjoyed under Qaddafi.
And with reports surfacing of numerous human rights violations committed by rebel forces in the course of the conflict, some analysts worry that promises of fair treatment of all Libyans may turn out to be hollow.
鈥淎s world leaders celebrate the birth of a new Libya 鈥� they should make it their priority to help build a state based on respect for human rights and the rule of law,鈥� said Philippe Bolopion, UN director for Human Rights Watch, in a statement. 鈥淭hey could start by pressing the new authorities to protect African migrants, ensure justice and not revenge, cooperate with the International Criminal Court, and ensure a fair representation for women in decision-making.鈥�
British Foreign Minister William Hague appeared to refer to concerns about post-conflict justice when he called on the new Libyan authorities to commit themselves to the same principles and universal human rights that prompted the international community to intervene in Libya.
