TRIPOLI — Prime Minister Ali Zeidan addressed the nation live on Al-Ahrar TV last night in his first speech only hours after his government was approved by the General National Congress (GNC). Zidan thanked the GNC and the Libyan public and declared that the approval of his government heralded ‘'the start of the state'' and state-building process and the ‘'building of democracy''. Regarding his newly approved government and the members who were referred to the Integrity Commission, Zeidan revealed that any member found to be not fit for their posts by the Integrity Commission, he would replace. ‘'I issued the GNC this pledge and I will keep to it'', he reassured the Libyan public. ‘'This will be a government for all Libyans…and I hope it will not let the Libyan people down'', Zeidan stressed. He went on to point out that he had had extensive contacts with the “real” thuwar (17 February freedom fighters) prior to choosing his government. The retraining and rehabilitation of the thuwar was a ‘'priority'' for him, so that they have a role in the building of Libya — just as they did during the Revolution, he said. He stressed that it was his duty to tackle the issue of safety and security. This included the rebuilding of the army which included rearming it as well as providing training, organization and sifting it from those no longer able to contribute to it. He stressed the need for “new blood” in the army and security forces. The newly approved prime minister also highlighted Libya's poor health system. He promised to take action “as soon as possible…so Libyans can have health care in Libya''. He promised to reduce the need for Libyans to have to travel abroad frequently for health care and suffer the inconvenience and cost. Zeidan also stressed the importance of the issue of national reconciliation for the nation and promised to address the matter. With regards to international relations, he promised Libya would play an active role and would not be a source of trouble to the rest of the world. He stressed international cooperation based on mutual benefit. He highlighted the UN and its positive role in Libya's 17 February Revolution and hoped for good relations with the organization.
