The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the recent statements on Libya by HR/VP Catherine Ashton, by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Commission President José Manuel Barroso and by European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas after six months of fighting, resulting in an estimated 50 000 casualties and in alarming humanitarian needs and sufferings, the Gaddafi regime has come to an end and the an interim government led by the National Transitional Council (NTC) has begun work on building a new Libya;

B.   whereas a ‘Friends of Libya’ Summit, attended by some 60 states and international organisations, was held on 1 September in Paris aiming to coordinate the international effort to assist the reconstruction of Libya;

C.  whereas the NTC will have to concurrently address the most pressing humanitarian needs of its population, put an end to violence and establish the rule of law as well as tackle the daunting task of nation-building and the building of a functioning, democratic state;

D.  whereas the EU has a vital interest in a democratic, stable, prosperous, peaceful North Africa;

1.   Welcomes the coming to an end of the six month conflict in Libya, the fall of the 42-year old autocratic regime of Muammar Gaddafi and the end of the long and tremendous suffering of the Libyan people; congratulates the Libyan people for their courage and determination and underlines that the free and sovereign aspirations of the Libyan people should be the driving force of the transition process since only a strong local ownership will guarantee its success;

2.   Calls therefore on the EU and its Member States to offer their full support in the transition process that must now take place to create a free, democratic and prosperous Libya;

3.   Welcomes the NATO commitment not to discontinue its operations until the threat for the civilian population from the remains of Colonel Gaddafi’s regime has been fully removed;

4.   Expresses its full support to the National Transitional Council (NTC) in its challenging task of building up a new state representing all Libyans; welcomes recent recognitions of the NTC and calls on all EU Member States and on the international community to follow suit; calls on the NTC to fully assume its responsibility for the security and well-being of the Libyan people, to act in a transparent manner and in full accordance with democratic principles as well as international humanitarian law;

5.   Calls on the NTC to initiate a process of reconciliation and nation-building as a necessary means to create sustainable peace, to proceed swiftly to collecting and securing arms and to make clear to its insurgent fighters that acts of vengeance will not be accepted but that those suspected for crimes will be tried in accordance with the rule of law;

6.   Stresses that there can be no impunity for crimes against humanity and that Muammar Gaddafi and members of his regime must be held responsible and put to trial for their crimes under the rule of law;

7.   Underlines the urgent humanitarian and migratory situation in Libya, notably due to critical shortages of water and food, medicines, electricity and fuel; calls on the EU and the international community to respond positively and swiftly to requests for financial humanitarian support from the NTC; welcomes in this context the rapid humanitarian response by the European Commission through the pledging of € 70 million and through the opening of a humanitarian office in Tripoli;

8.   Welcomes in this context the commitment made by the States and International Organisations present at the ‘Friends of Libya’ summit held in Paris on 1 September to immediately release USD 15 billion in frozen Libyan assets, as well as the EU decision to lift sanctions on 28 Libyan entities including ports, oil firms and banks;

9.   Stresses that the credibility of the NTC interim government will rest on its capacity to address the most pressing issues while at the same time creating conditions for strong democratic institutions; calls on the NTC to initiate as transparent and inclusive process as possible, involving all key stakeholders from all parts of the country in order to build up legitimacy and a national consensus and thus to avoid regional, ethnic or tribal fractions that could cause further violence;

10. Notes the pledge by NTC chairman Abdel Jalil for a new constitution and for legislative and presidential elections to take place by April 2012 but underlines that the election calendar will need to be adapted to the time necessary to create guarantees for the right of political representation and thus genuine political pluralism;

11. Calls on the EU and the international community to assist the NTC in its efforts toward economic recovery, to help it reconstruct its economic infrastructure and to attract foreign investment; welcomes the forthcoming opening of an EU delegation in Tripoli as well as the recent appointment of Bernardino Leon as new EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean; underlines that the sooner the Libyan economy recovers, notably through the restart of oil production, the sooner the NTC can strengthen its legitimacy and tend to the medium- to long-term needs of the country;

12. Underlines in this context the necessity of a long-term commitment of the international community to assist the NTC, and then its elected successors, upon request in reconstruction efforts, and to do so in a coordinated and coherent way led by the UN and the Contact Group;

13. Calls on the EU to gradually move from short-term financial aid to long-term political and technical assistance providing expertise in priority areas as defined and as requested by the new Libyan authorities and to resume negotiations on an EU-Libya Framework Agreement as soon as possible; underlines that the EU should play a useful role in stabilising the security situation using its Common security and defence policy, notably in the field of security sector reform;

14. Stresses the importance of the successful outcome of the Libya conflict for the region and in the context of the Arab Spring; urges other leaders in the region to draw lessons from Libya and to take heed of the growing popular movements calling for their rights and freedoms to be respected;

15. Recommends sending forthwith a European Parliament delegation to Libya to assess the situation, to transmit a message of support and solidarity and to initiate a dialogue with the NTC, civil society and other key players on the ground;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, the African Union, the Arab League and the Libyan National Transitional Council.