British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy touched down in Tripoli on Thursday, Sept. 15, accompanied by heavy security, to meet with Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) leaders and tour the city that once was the capital of Muammar al-Qaddafi's regime. The two leaders, both early supporters of the Libyan rebels, are credited with providing European leadership in helping overthrow Qaddafi; the New York Times writes that the NATO mission was a "diplomatic and military triumph" for Cameron and Sarkozy. With Qaddafi still on the loose, Cameron said that the NATO mission would continue "as long as necessary" to bring himto justice, while Sarkozy, whose government was the first to recognize the rebel government, pledged that "as long as peace is threatened, France will be on your side." Cameron and Sarkozy are the first European leaders to visit Tripoli since it fell last month.
Above, NATO military helicopters carry Sarkozy and Cameron after their press conference in Tripoli on Sept. 15.
