TEHRAN: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday urged the Libyan people to work together to prevent Western powers from taking control of their country and plundering its wealth.

“Their first objective is to take control of Libya and (then) attempt to impose non-revolutionary and non-popular rulers on its people,” he said in a speech broadcast live on state television from South Khorasan province.

“Nato forces intervened under the pretext of helping Libyans ... and have turned Libya into ruins ... and under the pretext of reconstructing Libya, they want to plunder its wealth,” Ahmadinejad said.

Iran supported the Libyan revolt against Moamer Qadhafi but strongly denounced the military intervention of Nato that led to the victory of the insurrection.

Ahmadinejad said he was certain that Libyans would “stand in unity and expel” Western powers.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi sent a message to the new leaders of Libya hailing “the total liberation of the country,” the Mehr news agency reported.

Salehi said he hoped Libyans would exercise their sovereignty by “installing a regime based on religious democracy while preserving the independence and stability of the country with no influence or interference by foreign forces.”