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By Tom Little.
Tripoli, 24 December:
Libya’s armed forces kicked off Independence Day celebrations this morning with a parade in the capital’s . . .[restrict]Martyrs’ Square.
Amid glorious sunshine, units from the national army, navy and air force marched past a podium packed with top government figures, and crowds gathered in the square to mark the 61st anniversary of Libya’s independence.
Top figures from the government, including Prime Minister Ali Zeidan and president of the General National Council, Mohamed Magarief, addressed the crowds.
Zeidan pointed to the fact that Libyan was going through a difficult phase in its history in his speech, but said that there was cause for optimism and hope.
In his speech, Magarief called for people to “remember the men and the leadership of the independent state created in 1951” who were largely erased from the history books during Qaddafi’s rule.
He also called on the crowds to remember those killed and wounded fighting to unseat Qaddafi in last year’s revolution.
Crowds were jubilant, and several attendees opposite the podium carried banners calling for the creation of a law isolating figures linked to the previous regime from political life.
The United Kingdom of Libya proclaimed its independence on 24 December 1951, two years after a UN General Assembly passed a resolution making it a sovereign state. [/restrict]
