Rebel leaders meet world powers to plot Libya’s future

LEADERS of the Libyan uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi sat down with world powers to map out the country’s rebuilding, 42 years to the day after the former strongman seized power in a coup.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose gamble to spearhead the West’s intervention in Libya paid off this week when Gaddafi was driven from power, were hosting delegations from 60 countries and world bodies.

A tight three-hour agenda focused on political and economic reconstruction, with Western powers anxious to avoid mistakes made in Iraq — but talks on the sidelines were expected to expose early jostling for opportunities in sectors like oil, utilities and infrastructure.