Showing the flag in Tripoli

The European flag with its circle of golden stars has been flying on the rooftops in Tripoli and showing support for the Libyan people since 31 August, when the EU officially opened an office in the country's capital. "The European presence just a few hours after the end of the fighting in the Libyan capital has had a great impact," said Agostino Miozzo, leader of a five-day EU mission there, on his return to Brussels on 6 September.

© European Union, 2011

The opening of an EU office in Tripoli has great symbolic value, giving the Libyan people confidence that normalisation was underway, observed Mr Miozzo, who is the Managing Director for Crisis Response in the European External Action Service. A second mission is being prepared, while the other EU office in Benghazi remains open for the time being.

Another task of the mission was to make contact with members of the National Transitional Council (NTC) present in Tripoli. Reconciliation and business continuity were the key words mentioned by a young generation of politicians encountered by Mr Miozzo. "They are proud of their country, of their flag and of the revolution they have made and they want to continue in that direction."

The post-conflict reconstruction can start once the situation is secure, and the Libyan authorities have had time to settle and control the situation. The process is to be led by the Libyans themselves, with the help of the international community. A coordinated analysis, in which the United Nations will play a vital role, will be made of the priorities, which include the security sector, water, sanitation, health sector, civil society, women and human rights.

"The proliferation of weapons will be one of the major security issues in the months and probably the years to come, but this is a problem that the Libyan authorities are focusing on very closely and they are already working on this issue," concluded Mr Miozzo.

More information:
Message by European Council President Van Rompuy to the Paris Conference on Libya (pdf)
Responding to the challenge of stabilisation in post-conflict Libya (pdf)
EU lifts asset freeze on several Libyan entities (pdf)
What the EU has been doing to support the Libyan people (Commission press release)