The Hill News

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) hailed Libyan dictator Colonel Moammar Gadhafi's death as good news but cautioned that it was only one step in "tumultuous" change coming to the region.

"Colonel Gaddafi's demise is positive news for freedom-loving people everywhere, but it is just one step in a long and tumultuous turnover that is coming to Northern Africa," Huntsman said in a statement. "It is my sincere wish that this news accelerates Libya's transition to a society that respects openness, democracy, and human rights."

Gadhafi died Thursday during fighting in his hometown of Sirte in Libya. Legislators generally praised the news as a sign that Libya was entering a new era of peace and freedom.

In his statement, Huntsman also drew upon his recently unveiled foreign policy proposal which emphasizes economic recovery at home.

"I remain firm in my belief that America can best serve our interests and that transition through! non-military assistance and rebuilding our own economic core here at home," Huntsman said. 

When Huntsman first jumped into the 2012 presidential race he made a point of opposing a U.S. intervention in Libya.

"We just can't afford it," Huntsman said in an interview with Esquire magazine.

He stressed then that if he were president he would make major cuts to the country's military budget.

"If you can't find anything there to cut, you're not looking hard enough," Huntsman said according to the magazine. 

â€"This story was updated at 1:42 p.m.