Gaddafi Dead: World Leaders React (VIDEO)
Following the news that strongman Col. Muammar Gaddafi died, world leaders who have long waited for the fall of the eccentric leader's regime reacted to the death of the man that ruled Libya for 42-years with an “iron fist.”
U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the nation from the White House saying that the death “marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya.”
Obama added, “You have won the revolution,” he said. “Today belongs to the people of Libya.”
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NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, “NATO and our partners have successfully implemented the historic mandate of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya.”
Rasmussen also urged the Libyan people to put their differences aside and “work together to build a brighter future.”
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed what the death of Gaddafi will mean for the Libyan people saying, “The road ahead is full of challenges, but also opportunities. The Libyan people look forward to a democratic political system based on pluralism, respect for women, youth and minority rights, and a peaceful transition to power.”
However, not all the comments coming from world leaders were inspiring and hopeful.
Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan president and a long-time Gaddafi ally, said, “Regrettably, Gaddafi’s death has been confirmed. He was murdered.”
Chavez added that he will “remember (Gaddafi) all of my life as a great fighter a revolutionary and a martyr.”
National Transitional Council officials confirmed the death of Gaddafi Thursday saying he was killed in crossfire after being captured in his hometown of Sirte.
Libyan officials have postponed the burial Gaddafi to enable further investigation into the death of the 69-year-old former “king of kings.”
The final moments of Gaddafi’s life are filled with uncertainty have caused the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International to call for an investigation into Gaddafi's death.
To watch footage of what appears to be Gaddafi's gruesome last moments please view below.
