Rebels: "No place for an Islamic state in Libya"

The Associated Press:

Benghazi, Libya — A leader of the rebel movement, meanwhile, sought to ease concerns from Western governments about its character and goals, emphasizing in an interview that the rebels will not allow Islamic extremists to hijack their plans to install a parliamentary democracy in place of Gadhafi's four-decade rule.

"Libyans as a whole – and I am one of them – want a civilian democracy, not dictatorship, not tribalism and not one based on violence or terrorism," said Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, vice chairman of the opposition's National Provisional Council.

The council, based in Benghazi, was formed to represent the opposition in the eastern Libyan cities that shook off control of the central government in a series of popular uprisings that began Feb. 15.

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