Muammar Gaddafi\'s death closes a dark chapter in Libya\'s history, Denmark\'s foreign minister said in a statement Thursday. \"A dark chapter in Libya\'s history is over. I welcome news that Gaddafi\'s hometown of Sirte is now declared free of forces loyal to him,\" said Villy Soevndal in the statement. \"Fighting in the other smaller towns will hopefully soon be over. And Libya will be ready to take an important step towards democracy and freedom,\" he added. Gaddafi was reportedly dead after forces loyal to Libya\'s National Transitional Council (NTC) claimed to have captured his hometown of Sirte in northern Libya on Thursday. Soevndal urged the NTC to create an open and participatory political process while establishing the new Libyan democracy, even as it begins stabilizing and rebuilding Libya. Soevndal added that Denmark stands ready to deepen cooperation with the new, free Libya.