Reply #75: UK, French leaders visit Libya; peace still far off [View All]

[pinboy3niner]

Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:36am GMT


TRIPOLI, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The French and British leaders will visit Libya on Thursday to congratulate the new rulers they helped install, but families fleeing besieged bastions of ousted strongman Muammar Gaddafi are a reminder that peace is still far off.

The visit will be a victory lap for Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron, who defied doubters at home to lead a NATO bombing campaign that succeeded in ushering in a victory by forces who swept away Gaddafi's 42-year rule last month.

Both leaders are hugely popular on the streets of Libya, where "Merci Sarkozy" and "Thank you Britain" are common grafitti slogans. Both may hope to earn political dividends back home from what now appears to have been a successful bet.

But on the eve of their visit, the leader of Libya's National Transitional Council said heavy battles lie ahead against Gaddafi loyalists who have refused to surrender.

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http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KE53P20110915?sp=true