Foreign Secretary marks second anniversary of Libyan revolution

LONDON, United-Kingdom, February 18, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Speaking on the second anniversary of the Libyan Revolution, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said:

“Libya has come a long way in two years. It has emerged from conflict, held free and fair elections, and opened up space for civil society and new media. We admire these achievements.

“We are proud of the support we were able to give the Libyan people during their revolution, and we will stand by them today as they build a new state.

“We know that Libya faces many challenges, from building security to ensuring that Libya's natural resources and wealth support economic opportunity and growth that benefits all Libyans. We also urge the Government and Congress to continue to work to build new institutions to protect the values of justice and human rights for which Libyans fought so hard; ensuring accountability for past crimes, fair trials and treatment for detainees, reconciliation between Libya's communities, and a new Constitution to ensure equitable political representation for all Libyan people.

“We are determined to help in any way we can. During his visit to Tripoli in January the Prime Minister announced that the UK would provide additional assistance, particularly to support security and economic reform. This will include providing technical and professional expertise to the Ministries of Interior, Defence and Justice, funding for projects promoting economic diversification and job creation, and continued support for civil society and the constitutional process. We will stand by the Libyan people as they work to build a secure, free and prosperous future for their country.”