Western powers should let UN take lead in rebuilding

BEIJING - With the first "Friends of Libya" conference about to start in Paris on Thursday, it seems necessary to remind Western powers to let the UN Security Council take the lead in reconstruction.

The conference in the French capital should serve as a platform to rally international strength to help speed up reconstruction in a post-war Libya - and not become another Versailles, with Western powers scrambling to promote their interests in a war-torn country.

From the beginning, Western powers have taken the upper hand in the military intervention against Libya, while some Western companies, such as the French oil giant Total, are now anxiously preparing their return to Libya through close contacts with Libya's National Transitional Council.