DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- After ending military operations in Libya last week, the NATO secretary-general said the alliance wouldn't play a major role in the country.
NATO forces terminated Operation Unified Protector last week, a few days after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi died after falling into rebel custody.
NATO was operating in Libya under a U.N. mandate to use to protect civilians in Libya from attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told al-Arabiya that the alliance wouldn't play a significant role in post-war Libya.
"We have terminated our operations and I don't foresee any major NATO role in the post-conflict period," he said. "Of course, individual allies and individual nations can assist the Transitional National Council if the council requests their assistance."
With the TNC embracing Islamic law for a free Libya, Rasmussen said he was confident the transitional rulers would uphold the basic principles of democracy. He expressed concern, however, that missiles and other weapons missing from Libya might fall into al-Qaida's hands.
"The United Nations Security Council has clearly stated that it is now the responsibility of the TNC to make sure that weapons are properly controlled and secured (so) I hope that the TNC will allow international inspectors to look closer into that," he said.
