Germany wants stake in Libyan reconstruction

TRIPOLI, January 8, 2012 (AFP) –

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Sunday his country was ready to contribute to the reconstruction of Libya following the collapse last year of Moamer Kadhafi’s 42-year rule.

“For the new Libya, it is in some ways a new beginning,” he said during his first visit since the National Transitional Alliance took over at the helm on the oil-rich North African country.

“We want to be there to ensure that you seize your opportunities,” said Westerwelle, who travelled to Libya with a delegation of business leaders.

Germany in March 2011 abstained in a UN Security Council vote to slap a no-fly zone over Libya, the only European Union and NATO country to oppose direct military intervention in the conflict there.

According to diplomatic sources, interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib expressed interest in German expertise in renewable energy technology.

Westerwelle visited Algeria on Saturday and is expected in Tunisia, where the Arab Spring still sweeping across the region started, on Monday.