Tirana recognizes Libyan opposition

TIRANA, July 18 – On Monday, Albania formally recognized the National Transition Council in Libya as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
A statement of the Foreign Ministry said that “the government of Albania has followed with attention the crisis in Libya and has supported the efforts of the international community towards finding a solution to this crisis in full compliance with the Resolutions 1970, 1973 of the UN Security Council.”
Tirana also praised the Libyan people’s aspirations for democracy and development, adding it has supported the activities of the National Transition Council, its program for a democratic Libya, and considers the Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
“The Albanian government expresses its readiness to establish relations with the Council and to give its assistance towards the restoration of peace and building the democracy in Libya. We express our conviction that, by undertaking such a decision, we support the just cause of the Libyan people for freedom and progress,” it said.
Tirana’s decision follows that of the United States and more than 30 other nations that last week formally recognized Libya’s main opposition group as the country’s legitimate government, giving the rebel movement a major boost.
The decision, which declared Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s regime no longer legitimate, gives his foes greater credibility and will potentially free up billions in cash that the rebels fighting Libyan forces urgently need.
The front lines in the Libyan civil war have largely stagnated since the popular uprising seeking to oust Gadhafi broke out in February. Rebels, backed by NATO’s air force bombings, control much of the country’s east and pockets in the west. But Gadhafi controls the rest from his stronghold in Tripoli, the capital.
Foreign ministers and other representatives of the so-called Contact Group on Libya said in a statement Friday that the “Gadhafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya.” They said the Libyan strongman and certain members of his family must go.