In a joint statement, Prime Minister David Cameron and President Nicolas Sarkozy said Qaddafi loyalists should abandon the dictator and side with those seeking his ouster.
“We call on all his followers to leave him before it is too late,” the two leaders said. “We call on all Libyans who believe that Qaddafi is leading Libya into a disaster to take the initiative now to organize a transition process.” The two European leaders repeated their call on Qaddafi to step down and said the opposition’s Interim National Transitional Council should help other civil society leaders to begin a transition to democracy.
“We encourage them to begin a national political dialogue, leading to a representative process of transition, constitutional reform and preparation for free-and-fair elections,” Sarkozy and Cameron said.
They said that a conference taking place in London on Tuesday will aim at kick-starting a political process that would eventually allow Libyans to choose their own leadership.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon and about 40 foreign ministers will join the talks and discuss plans for post-conflict humanitarian aid, Cameron told the House of Commons.
The meeting also will examine how Libya would respond to Qaddafi’s ouster and select its future leaders, he said.
“That new beginning requires three things,” Cameron told lawmakers in London. “First, to strengthen the alliance with more support from new countries, including in the Arab World. Second, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid, including to newly liberated towns. Third, to help plan for the future of Libya after the conflict is over.”
