Remarks With UK Foreign Secretary and Libyan Prime Minister

Remarks With United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague and Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan After Their Meeting

Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Winfield House
London, United Kingdom
November 24, 2013

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you all. It’s our pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister of Libya Ali Zeidan here to Winfield House, our American enclave in the heart of the capital of the United Kingdom. We’re honored to be here with my colleague, William Hague, to do so.

Libya has gone through great turmoil, particularly after the course of the last weeks, and the Prime Minister informed us of a transformation that he believes is beginning to take place and could take place because the people of Libya have spoken out and pushed back against the militias. And so this is a moment of opportunity where there’s a great deal of economic challenge, there’s a great deal of security challenge. And we talked with the Prime Minister today about the things that we can do together – the United Kingdom and the United States and other friends – in order to help Libya to achieve the stability that it needs. So we’re very grateful to him for taking time to come here and do that.

William, do you want to add anything before we introduce the minister?

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, thank you very much, indeed, for hosting this. Like the United States, the United Kingdom is very strongly committed to help the government and the people of Libya, and we are pleased that the people of Libya are also clearly strongly committed to Libya’s government, to democracy and stability in their country, to friendship in the region and with the countries of Europe. So there are many different ways in which we are trying to assist. It’s been a pleasure to discuss with the Prime Minister today more ways in which we can assist. And the United Kingdom, working with the U.S. and European partners, will do our utmost to do so over the coming months.

PRIME MINISTER ZEIDAN: (Via interpreter) I would like to thank Secretary Kerry and Mr. Hague for this kind invitation and for their continuous – and their commitment for the continuous support of Libya. The Libyan people have had a long struggle, and lately they have done a lot to get rid of the militias and that there are markers that fell in this process to end the armed militias. And this visit is a witness to the relationship and a confirmation of the friendship that started since the first days of our struggle towards independence. Our friends have supported us in the – during our revolution, and we are here in order to affirm the importance of cooperation with our friends. They have also committed to help Libya in order to become a more independent state, a state that is going to be revealed and to be an active contributor on the world arena.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much, very much. Thank you. Thank you so much.

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Thank you, Prime Minister. I’ll take my leave, and so I’ll see you soon.

PRIME MINISTER ZEIDAN: Thank you.

ENDS

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