International recognition of the National Transitional Council
International recognition of the National Transitional Council of Libya was given by the majority of international states but was not universal.
By 2012, 104 United Nations members and two observer states had announced they recognised the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, and some of them had indicated that they were recognising the NTC as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people, severing diplomatic relations with Gaddafi's government in the process.[1] Additionally, non-UN members, Kosovo, Palestine, the Republic of China (Taiwan), also granted recognition. The European Union and several individual countries, such as Switzerland, established a diplomatic presence in Benghazi, the former de facto headquarters of the council and the continuing location for many of its offices. NTC officials also met with representatives of Iceland and Mauritania, among other states, though these states were not known to have established permanent diplomatic relations (informal or formal) with the NTC.
The United Nations General Assembly, with 114 member states in favour to 17 opposed, voted on 16 September 2011 to recognise the NTC as holding Libya's seat at the United Nations.[2][3] On 20 September 2011, the African Union officially recognised the National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of Libya.[4]
Angola
: Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said on 9 September that Bolivia does not endorse the NTC and condemned "the actions of NATO in Libya". Choquehanca insisted Bolivia will "not recognize any transitional authority".[354][355]
Bolivia
: On 3 September the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a communique that Cuba is withdrawing its ambassador from Libya, because it does not recognise the transitional government.[356] The statement warned, "Cuba does not recognize the National Transition Council or any provisional authority and will only recognize a government that is established legitimately and without foreign intervention, via the free, sovereign will of the Libyan people," and strongly criticised the NATO intervention and "the deployment of diplomatic and operative personnel in the field" by the NTC's international allies.[357] Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla repeated the statement at the meeting of foreign ministers of Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas on 9 September in Caracas.[358]
Cuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
: On 27 August, Deputy Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas said Quito would not recognise "a transition junta" until "the people declare it legitimate". Lucas added that the NTC was not a "real" government and so the Ecuadorian government could not recognise it.[359] Lucas reiterated the government's position on 20 October, saying, "We do not recognize the NTC and we will continue in that line."[360]
Ecuador
Equatorial Guinea
Eswatini
: Between 5 and 9 September the Libyan embassy in Maseru hoisted a second flag - the NTC flag. Foreign Affairs Minister Mohlabi Tsekoa said that it is too early to declare Lesotho's stance as a country.[361]
Lesotho
Malawi
: On 22 August, the head of the Libyan embassy in Windhoek, Salem Mohamed Krayem, decided to defect from the Gaddafi regime. Namibian officials such as Theo-Ben Gurirab, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, have made conflicting statements. In March, Gurirab said he supported Gaddafi because "Africans [...] believe in existential friendship: once a friend, always a friend". In August, he said Gaddafi has lost "his vigilance on the red carpet, doing the danger dance, which doesn't stop".[362] On 23 August Namibian Foreign Affairs Minister Utoni Nujoma said officially, Namibia still has diplomatic relations with the Gaddafi government.[363] On 22 September main opposition party - Rally for Democracy and Progress - recognised NTC, when the government decided not to recognise until democratic elections are held.[364]
Namibia
: On 3 September, President Daniel Ortega said that it refused to recognise the National Transitional Council of Libya.[365]
Nicaragua
: Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said on 28 August that the Tanzanian government supports the AU's decision not to recognise the NTC, but said his government will recognise the NTC if it takes over the Gaddafi government's remaining strongholds and establishes executive, legislative, and judicial organs for the whole country. Otherwise, he said Dodoma will hold off on recognising a new government of Libya until nationwide elections are held.[366] The Libyan Embassy has taken down the rebel flag after hoisting it the embassy buildings in Dar es Salaam on 27 August. The flag was removed before the 48-hour ultimatum given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation ended. The green flag was not hoisted again. The Embassy also apologised to the Tanzanian government.[367] Bernard Membe, Minister of International Cooperation and Foreign Affairs of Tanzania, said on 30 September that contacts between the NTC and the Government of Tanzania are "underway to normalize".[368] On 9 November Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tanzania said that his country will not recognise NTC unless the Libyan government will fulfill conditions set by the Africa Union.[369]
Tanzania
: In March, the government of President Hugo Chavez said that it refused to recognise the Benghazi government and insisted that only the previous government was legitimate. Reinaldo Bolivar, Venezuela's Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs for Africa, also insisted that "there were no problems until a coalition of US and European countries began the shelling", and expressed his support for a "diplomatic solution to the crisis".[370] On 23 August, as major rebel successes on the battlefield including in Tripoli coincided with a wave of recognitions for the NTC, Chavez again stated that he would only recognise the government of Gaddafi. Chavez also accused the West of "kicking" and "spitting" on "the most basic elements of international law" (remarking that "This is like the caveman era"), and saying the United States "arranged this war. They provided the arms, the mercenaries. They better not attempt to apply the Libyan formula to Venezuela or we'll have to show them our power."[371] On 25 August, Chavez denounced the latest attack against his country's embassy in Libya on 24 August,[372] but the attack on embassy is disputed by some reporters on place.[373] On 26 October, Chavez said that "For us, there is no government in Libya" and "We don't recognize the government that NATO has installed."[374]
Venezuela
: On 3 November Foreign Minister Chishimba Kambwili said that Government is waiting for Cabinet approval to recognise the new Libyan government and then Zambia will reopen its embassy in Libya, because "if the people of Libya have agreed to change government then we will respect that".[375]
Zambia
: On 24 August, the Libyan embassy staff in Harare declared they would "follow the Libyan majority" and declare allegiance to the NTC, pulling down the green flag, raising the tricolour, and destroying portraits and posters of Muammar Gaddafi.[376] On 25 August, Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that country's government no longer recognises Libyan Ambassador Taher Elmagrahi because of his defection, and Elmagrahi may face expulsion from Zimbabwe.[377] "We do not have diplomatic relations with NTC and the hoisting of its flag here is actually illegal," Foreign Affairs Secretary Joey Bimha said.[378] Bimha said ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe's ruling party, refused to recognise the NTC because "Gaddafi remains the legitimate representative of the people of Libya."[379] On 26 August, Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi declared Elmagrahi persona non grata and ordered him and his family to leave Zimbabwe within five days.[380] On 1 September Zimbabwean police arrested foreign journalists in the Libyan embassy.[381] The next day, staff of the embassy of Libya sought refuge in Botswana. The expulsion has broken the fragile coalition between Robert Mugabe and the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who said: "My position is it is not up to Zimbabwe to decide what the sovereign right is of the Libyans. It is up to the Libyans to choose their representatives."[382] On 15 September the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Makhula said that Libyan ambassador and his staff were not expelled, but "simply asked to go back to Libya and receive credentials from the new authority since the NTC had no diplomatic mandate at this stage to assign ambassadors to other countries".[383]
