UN approves Libya seat for former rebels

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations gave strong backing to Libya's former rebels Friday, handing their National Transitional Council the country's U.N. seat and then lifting and modifying some sanctions imposed on Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

The General Assembly's vote to accept the credentials of the National Transitional Council, which led the rebellion that ousted Gadhafi, gave its representative the right to speak at the United Nations. Libya's former deputy ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi, who early on denounced Gadhafi and backed the rebels, addressed the Security Council hours later.

"Today is undoubtedly a decisive, historic day in the life of the Libyan people," Dabbashi said. "It is an indication that dictatorship has fallen, a period of terror, of denial of freedom, and of violation of human rights has now come to an end for the Libyan people."

"The fact that the National Transitional Council today takes Libya's seat at these United Nations indicates that a new page has been opened in history of the Libyan people - a page that has been marked by the blood of Libya's sons," he said.