LONDON (AP) — World leaders have seized upon the death of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi as an opportunity to turn the page on four decades of authoritarian rule.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the leading players in the campaign against Gaddafi, said today that Gaddafi’s demise is a milestone in Libya’s battle to free itself from dictatorship.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said that “people in Libya today have an even greater chance, after this news, of building themselves a strong and democratic future.”
And while Libyan exiles in Britain also celebrated the news, there was an undercurrent of anxiety about the future.
Outside the Libyan Embassy in London, 37-year-old Amani Deghayes said she hoped “there will be real democracy, not another crazy regime.”
Thousands of Libyans were celebrating the death of Gaddafi today, after his 42-year rule there.
