THE Nato high command has taken a sensible decision. On Thursday, it decided to end its mission on Monday, as was scheduled, rejecting Libya`s National Transitional Council`s plea for an extension `at least` till year`s end. Evidently, Nato was aware of the misgivings that were bound to arise if it were to extend the mission. The request to Nato also showed how weak and vulnerable the NTC felt itself politically and militarily. On the whole, it is not a very auspicious beginning for the new regime. Within days, it had to change its stance on Muammar Qadhafi`s death. Earlier, it had said that the late leader was killed in crossfire between his own loyalists. Now it has agreed to conduct a probe to determine how Col Qadhafi died and bring the killers to justice.
Evidently, the NTC feels shaken by the universal condemnation of the public display of the dead leader`s body in a market freezer and Col Qadhafi`s secret burial at an undisclosed place at night reminding people of what the Americans did to the corpse of Osama bin Laden.Libya`s infrastructure and oil installations have suffered immense damage, and the eight-monthlong fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of its citizens. The priority for the NTC should, therefore, be to rebuild Libya, rehabilitate the displaced, restore public utility services and return Libya to a semblance of normality as early as possible. More important, the new regime must try to heal the wounds inflicted by the civil war instead of persecuting Qadhafi loyalists, many of whom fought against the now former rebels as they obeyed orders from a lawful authority. The NTC must, therefore, obey the UN`s demand that it respect the rights of all detainees.
Seeking Nato`s help to build the new Libya`s defence and security systems, as indicated by NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil, is to get the priorities wrong. The revolt against the Qadhafi regime was basically a revolt for a democratic way of life.
What the Libyans want is for the NTC to follow the Tunisian example and create conditions for holding fair elections at the earliest.
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