EU welcomes Libyan day of Liberation

The European Union extends congratulations to the new Libyan authorities as they formally declared the nation\'s freedom on Sunday. \"The announcement today of the Day of Liberation by Chairman ( Mustafa) Abdel-Jalil is a historic event,\"said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Acknowledging the significance of the nine months of \"bitter and bloody fighting\", she said \"the Libyan people can now look to the future with hope and confidence.\"Ashton urged the Libyan leadership to \"unite during this transition period to build a new Libya based on national reconciliation and respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic principles.\" \"There can be no greater tribute to the suffering of the Libyan people than this, no finer memorial to Gaddafi\'s victims,\" she said. The EU official also pledged continued support for the Libyan people during the transition process. The announcement came three days after the country\'s former leader Moammar Gaddafi was reportedly killed in his hometown in Sirte. An autopsy at a Misrata hospital earlier on Sunday has confirmed that Gaddafi died of a gunshot wound to his head.