TRIPOLI, Libya — Pentagon chief Leon Panetta made history Saturday as the first American defense secretary to set foot on Libyan soil and said he hoped the post-Moammar Gadhafi government could assemble the country’s militias into “one Libya.”

Panetta has indicated that the U.S. will give the Libyans some time to gain control of the militias that overthrew Gadhafi during an eight-month civil war before determining how to help the fledgling government.

At a news conference in the capital with Prime Minister Abd al-Raheem al-Keeb, Panetta said that he was confident that the new Libyan government is reaching out to all groups and would bring them together as part of “one Libya.”

Panetta said the United States would provide whatever assistance the Libyans needed.

Ahead of Panetta’s visit, the Obama administration announced it had lifted penalties that were imposed on Libya in February to choke off Gadhafi’s financial resources while his government was using violence to suppress peaceful protests.