World leaders meet to discuss post-Gadhafi Libya - CTV.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is among the world leaders meeting in Paris to hash out a strategy for winding down the NATO mission in Libya and building a roadmap for the post-Moammar Gadhafi era.

The Paris meeting is being held exactly 42 years to the day that Gadhafi seized power in a coup, the start of a decades-long reign in which he ruled with an iron fist, bankrolled acts of terror and managed to coax diplomatic relationships with Western countries that previously shunned him.

With Gadhafi nowhere to be found and his regime now crumbling, the time is rapidly approaching when Libyan rebels will have full control of the country.

But the rebels will need considerable help in transforming Libya into a thriving democracy, a process which will be long, arduous and could take many years to complete.

Immediate challenges for the rebel leadership include ending hostilities with Gadhafi loyalists, restoring normal routines after months of conflict and getting basic services up and running again.

CTV's South Asia Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer said the rebels are desperate for cash, which they hope world leaders will decide to make available to them in short order.

"The expectation or certainly the hope is that those world leaders meeting in Paris are going to announce that billions of dollars in Libyan funds are going to be unfrozen worldwide," Mackey Frayer reported from Tripoli on Thursday.

But the leaders meeting in Paris are expected to focus on the bigger picture, involving the power shift from the former Gadhafi regime to the Libyan rebels.

"The ultimate goal today is to get some sort of blueprint, a co-ordinated blueprint that all the international community can agree upon to plan a peaceful transition for the Libyan people and to ensure, first and foremost, that the newly formed transitional government can actually govern," CTV's Richard Madan reported from Paris.

Harper arrived for the Paris meeting on Thursday afternoon, where he joined dozens of other leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Earlier Thursday, Harper visited a military base in southern Italy, where Canadian Forces have been based while taking part in the NATO mission known as Operation Unified Protector.

The prime minister personally thanked Canadian troops taking part in the NATO mission, saying their work is giving hope to Libyan people who have been living under Gadhafi's thumb for decades.

"Without your commitment, your bravery and your actions, there would be no reason to meet later today," Harper said, referencing the Paris meeting.

"Nothing to talk about, nothing to plan for, no hope to offer the Libyan people."

Harper said Canada punched above its weight in the military effort to oust Gadhafi, which he said was the only way to remove the long-time dictator from power.

"For the Gadhafis of this world pay no attention to the force of argument," he said.

"The only thing they get is the argument of force itself. And that you have delivered in a cause that is good and right."

While Harper thanked the soldiers for their hard work, he also hinted that their job is not yet done.

As of Tuesday, the Canadian military reported taking part in more than 1,000 sorties over Libya and dropping 550 bombs on ground targets.

Since the mission began in March, NATO jets have flown nearly 21,000 sorties.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press