U.S. to extend aid to post-Gaddafi Libya

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Tripoli Oct 18 to extend U.S. support for Libyan attempts to restore security, build a democracy and revive the economy following the uprising that deposed Muammar Gaddafi.

“Now the hard part begins,” Clinton said after meeting senior officials from the interim National Transitional Council to offer help with securing missing weapons, encourage the development of non-oil industries and provide veterans of the conflict with medical care and education.

Clinton said she pressed the officials on the need to stand by their commitments to democracy. Libya’s interim ruling council has proposed holding elections for a 200-member national congress eight months after the end of hostilities. The congress would draft a constitution, setting the stage for multiparty elections.

Clinton said the U.S. was pledging as much as $10 million in additional aid to help locate and disable weapons and munitions unaccounted for since the conflict began in February.

Clinton will also announce a public-private U.S. initiative to provide spare parts and chemicals for Libyan medical equipment, transportation to U.S. hospitals for the most seriously wounded, and assistance in creating a computerized medical records system to track patient care, State Department officials said. To date, the U.S. has provided more than $135 million in assistance to Libyan civilians and the rebel council, according to State Department figures, Bloomberg reported.