World leaders agreed on Thursday that the United Nations will take the lead on assisting Libya's new leadership in a post-Moammar Gadhafi era.
Leaders and envoys from 60 nations met in Paris for talks with the rebel-led National Transitional Council to build a roadmap of Libya's future and hash out a strategy for winding down the NATO mission.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that dozens of world leaders agreed that the UN will take the lead and he urged "prompt action" to "deploy a civilian mission as rapidly as possible."
The Paris meeting was held exactly 42 years to the day that Gadhafi seized power in a coup, the start of a decades-long reign in which he ruled with an iron fist, bankrolled acts of terror and managed to coax diplomatic relationships with Western countries that previously shunned him.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed that Gadhafi could face trial in Libya and wouldn't necessarily have to be transferred to an international court.
"It is up to the Libyans to decide how to judge him, once they have fought him," Sarkozy said after the meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Human rights activists have urged the rebels to turn Gadhafi over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for trial but many people in Libya want to see the ousted leader and members of his family and regime prosecuted at home.
With Gadhafi nowhere to be found and his regime now crumbling, the time is rapidly approaching when Libyan rebels will have full control of the country.
But the rebels will need considerable help in transforming Libya into a thriving democracy, a process which will be long, arduous and could take many years to complete.
Immediate challenges for the rebel leadership include ending hostilities with Gadhafi loyalists, restoring normal routines after months of conflict and getting basic services up and running again.
CTV's South Asia Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer said the rebels are desperate for cash, which they hope world leaders will decide to make available to them in short order.
"The expectation or certainly the hope is that those world leaders meeting in Paris are going to announce that billions of dollars in Libyan funds are going to be unfrozen worldwide," Mackey Frayer reported from Tripoli on Thursday.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined dozens of other leaders at Thursday's meeting.
Earlier in the day, Harper visited a military base in southern Italy, where Canadian Forces have been based while taking part in the NATO mission known as Operation Unified Protector.
The prime minister personally thanked Canadian troops taking part in the NATO mission, saying their work is giving hope to Libyan people who have been living under Gadhafi's thumb for decades.
"Without your commitment, your bravery and your actions, there would be no reason to meet later today," Harper said, referencing the Paris meeting.
"Nothing to talk about, nothing to plan for, no hope to offer the Libyan people."
Harper said Canada punched above its weight in the military effort to oust Gadhafi, which he said was the only way to remove the long-time dictator from power.
"For the Gadhafis of this world pay no attention to the force of argument," he said.
"The only thing they get is the argument of force itself. And that you have delivered in a cause that is good and right."
While Harper thanked the soldiers for their hard work, he also hinted that their job is not yet done.
However, it's unclear what future role Canada will play in Libya.
"We haven't yet decided what specific areas we can help in," Harper said.
Critics charge that any future plans for Canadian involvement in the North African country will need parliamentary approval.
"There should be a focus on any civilian and diplomatic initiative -- not a military initiative," said New Democrat MP Paul Dewar.
As of Tuesday, the Canadian military reported taking part in more than 1,000 sorties over Libya and dropping 550 bombs on ground targets.
Since the mission began in March, NATO jets have flown nearly 21,000 sorties.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
