Libya's new leaders, town reach deal for peaceful handover

Representatives of Libya's National Transitional Council agreed with elders from Bani Walid for the peaceful handover of the town to their control.

The men gathered to speak in a mosque in Bani Walid in a meeting aired live by Al Jazeera television today. The former rebels said they came in peace and would respect law and order. They outlined plans to restore water supplies and electricity. The tribal elders said more than 90 percent of Bani Walid residents want the peaceful entry of NTC fighters.

The council's forces said yesterday that Muammar Qaddafi's loyalists tried to prevent Bani Walid's handover because they feared arrest and execution for their part in his government's crimes. A loyalist convoy fled to Niger late yesterday, Salley Kolle, a police officer in the Nigerien town of Agadez, said today by phone. Niger's Nomade FM radio said Qaddafi intelligence chief Mansour Daw was among them.

Since rebels took control of Tripoli in late August, transitional authorities have been trying to restore stability, consolidate military gains and capture Qaddafi. More than six months of fighting to end the Libyan leader's 42-year rule have reduced oil production and disrupted power supplies in the country with Africa's largest crude reserves.

NTC envoys were also in negotiations for their forces to enter Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte, southeast of the capital, Tripoli, and Sabha, the site of a major military base south of Tripoli. There was no immediate word on the progress of the talks. NTC Mustafa Abdel Jalil said on Sept. 3 that its forces would pressure those cities until they give up, while continuing to supply them with humanitarian aid.