After visiting Tripoli and holding talks with the new regime officials, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Libya could become an important security partner of Washington.

After visiting Tripoli and holding talks with the new regime officials, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Libya could become an important security partner of Washington.

"We are and will be your friend and partner," Panetta said Saturday in a joint press conference with Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Rahim Al-Kib.

“This new and free Libya can become an important security partner of the United States… We stand ready to offer whatever assistance in the spirit of friendship and a spirit of mutual respect," he added, eliminating near military cooperation between the two countries.

"The purpose of my trip to Libya is to have an opportunity to look at that situation up close but to also pay tribute to the Libyan people to what they did in bringing (former leader Moammar) Gaddafi down and trying to establish a government for the future," Panetta continued.

For his part Al-Kib indicated that “the United States was willing to help Libya without any interference”.

AFP further quoted the Libyan Prime Minister as saying that “I'm very optimistic… The Libyan people are known to be peaceful and I'm sure that they will be back to that mentality."