BRUSSELS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday said the declaration of liberation in Libya marked a "great victory," and called on Libyans to put aside their differences.
"This is a great victory for the people of Libya. Their courage and determination in the cause of freedom has inspired the world," he said in a statement.
The NATO chief called on Libyans to put aside their differences and build "a new inclusive Libya, based on reconciliation, and full respect for human rights and the rule of law."
He said that NATO had preliminarily decided to wind down its military campaign, which helped Libyan rebels make advances on the ground, until the end of this month.
"As we wind down the operation, together with our partners, we will monitor the situation and retain the capacity to respond to threats to civilians, if needed," he concluded.
Vice Chairman of the Libyan ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) Abdel Hafiz Ghoga on Sunday declared that Libya has been "liberated."
The formal declaration came three days after Sirte, the last stronghold of the loyalists of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, fell into the control of NTC fighters, and after the capture and death of Gaddafi in his hometown the same day.
The announcement, made in Libya's second largest city Benghazi, where anti-Gaddafi protests started in February, marks the end of the eight-month-old domestic fighting between Gaddafi's loyalists and the NTC fighters.
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