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Libya's interim government says the leaders of Britain and France will travel to the North African nation Thursday, becoming the first foreign heads of state to visit the country since the overthrow of former leader Moammar Gadhafi. Senior officials from Libya's National Transitional Council said British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil in the capital, Tripoli, before traveling to the eastern city of Benghazi. Neither London nor Paris offered any official confirmation of the visit. Britain and France pushed for NATO action to protect civilians against forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi, and the French were the first to recognize the NTC as the official representative of the Libyan people. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also scheduled to visit Libya on Thursday as part of a North African tour. Meanwhile, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman, assured Libyans that the Obama administration will respect the country's sovereignty, saying the future of Libya “is in the hands of its people”. He said he is monitoring the growing influence of Islamists on Libya's more secular leaders but does not consider it a significant threat, adding that the new Libya will have to take into account many “different political trends.”
Feltman also told reporters that Washington already has people working with Libya's new rulers about the possible proliferation of conventional and non-conventional weapons, including dangerous chemicals like mustard gas. While he said shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles are of particular concern, he added that Libya's supplies of chemical weapons are secure.
Feltman – who met Wednesday with senior NTC members in Tripoli – is the highest ranking U.S. official to visit the country since provisional authority forces drove Mr. Gadhafi from power last month.
His comments came a day after the World Bank recognized the NTC and said it will work to assist in Libya's transition. The bank said Tuesday its decision is based on events in Libya and the views of member countries. It also said it has been asked to examine the need for repairs to Libya's water, energy and transportation sectors, and to help the country's banking sector together with the International Monetary Fund. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday Mr. Gadhafi's son, Saadi, is being detained in a state guest house in Niger, after crossing into the country earlier this week.
A State Department spokeswoman said it is “appropriate” for Niger and Libya to work together on the issue, and that it is up to the NTC to decide how to proceed. Officials in Niger say 32 people close to Mr. Gadhafi have fled to the central African nation since September 2.
