It's a beautiful day

When I interviewed Yousef Lamlum in March, he described Muammar Gaddafi as "a bad dream", who wrecked Libya and brought misery on his people.
Mr Lamlum, lives in Malta, having escaped the oppression of a regime that would not let him and his family go because one of his brothers, based in London, was critical of Gaddafi.
It was March, and Nato bombings had only just started. Rebel forces had advanced, fallen back and a stalemate looked likely.
But Mr Lamlum was hopeful. The most important thing was that Libyans had broken the fear barrier and this meant there was no turning back.
Today, Mr Lamlum like many other Libyans can look back and truly say that his country has woken up from a very bad dream that lasted 42 years.
It is indeed a beautiful day for him and the Libyan people as the regime that ruled with an iron fist crumbles in front of their eyes.
It may take another few days before calm and stability return to Tripoli where pockets of resistance still exist but the more important question now is what comes next.
It will be a future which the Libyan people themselves must design. But in all this the European Union and the United States can play a limited but important supporting role to ensure the transition is smooth and orderly.
The beautiful day that Libyans woke up to must not be allowed to turn into a sour experience for ordinary people. The long wait is over but a long road still lies ahead. The energy, the enthusiasm, the determination and the personal sacrifice employed over the past six months must now be channelled into building a new democratic Libya.