U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the death of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi closes a “very unfortunate chapter” in the country's history but also marks the “start of a new era.”

She commented from Pakistan on Friday, three days after visiting Libya on her tour of the Middle East and South Asia.

Her comments come a day after U.S. President Barack Obama called Gadhafi's death a warning to authoritarian strongmen across the Middle East that iron-fisted rule “inevitably comes to an end.”

China said Friday that Libya has opened a new page and urged Libya's provisional government leaders to start the process for an “inclusive” political transition.

China is a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member. The country abstained from a council vote in March that authorized the use of force to protect Libyan civilians from Gadhafi's troops. China had also been highly critical of the NATO air campaign in Libya.

Also Friday, South Africa said it hoped developments in Libya would “lead to a cessation of hostilities and the restoration of peace.” And, Iran reacted saying it hoped for an “end to civil war” and an “establishment of stability.”

On Thursday, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said he hoped Gadhafi's death would “turn the page of tyranny.” He urged Libyans to “overcome the wounds of the past and to forgo “grudges or sentiments of revenge.”

In August, Arab countries declared “full solidarity” with Libya's National Transitional Council .

Also Thursday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Gadhafi's death marked “a historic transition for Libya.” He called on all combatants to lay down their arms.

Italy — Libya's former colonial ruler — marked Gadhafi's death with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saying “now the war is over.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel each said his death was a way to move forward toward a democratic Libya.

European Union President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso issued a joint statement saying the former Libyan leader's death marked “the end to an era of despotism and repression.”