US to recognize Libyan rebels as legitimate government

"I am announcing today that, until an interim authority is in place, the United States will recognize the TNC as the legitimate governing authority for Libya, and we will deal with it on that basis," Clinton said, referring to the rebels' Transitional National Council.

Because the council will be forming an interim governing body, it will not change its name, according to this scenario.

The foreign ministers of France and Italy, both of whom recognized the rebels earlier in the conflict, said all nations at the meeting were now prepared to follow suit. France pledged to unfreeze $250 million in assets in coming days and give the money to the rebels, and Italy pledged to unfreeze $100 million.

The money that comes with full diplomatic recognition has been increasingly important in recent weeks for the cash-st rapped rebels, who have found themselves in a stalemate with Gaddafi's forces.

Kuwait and Qatar have already given roughly $100 million to the rebels, and other countries have pledged varying degrees of funding, but rebel leaders say they need more money soon if they are to shoulder all the responsibilities of a new government in a country torn by five months of fighting.

For weeks, U.S. officials have stopped short of full diplomatic recognition even as they inched up support for the Libyan rebels' cause. The main concern was over how capably and inclusively the rebel leaders would govern, said a senior U.S. state department official who was not authorized to speak by name.

The United States decided to change its position after a presentation to the international contact group by Mahmoud Jibril, the foreign representative of the transitional council, who walked through the rebels' post-Gaddafi plans for governing Libya.

The worry among U.S. and other foreign powers was that after Gaddafi falls, the oil-rich country could become embroiled in tribal conflicts or ethnic tensions. A British-led group planning for post-Gaddafi Libya is recommending that the Libyan army be left intact to avoid the tactical mistake made after the Iraq war, when U.S.-led forces dismantled Saddam Hussein's army.

At the meeting, Turkey and the African Union each proposed road maps for resolving the conflict. Both included establishing an immediate cease-fire and opening negotiations with Gaddafi to get him to leave.

"Gaddafi and those around him know what is required," Clinton told the foreign ministers. "The terms of a ceasefire are clear. Gaddafi must stop attacks or the threat of attacks, remove his troops from all of the places they have forcibly entered, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance."

Rebel fighters in the mountains south of Tripoli said that if being recognized by the United States allows them to secure more guns, they applaud the decision. But opposition soldiers are united in their refusal to accept any "road map" forward that includes Gaddafi and his inner circle.

"No, it is impossible. He is a cancer and he needs to be removed," said Col. Muhammad Khabasha, a top commander in the town of Zintan, where a few thousand men have been fighting since February.

"Gaddafi will not leave without violence. The West must understand this," Khabasha said. "Gaddafi has eight sons, who have each been brought in power, to have power, each with an army of people behind them. These people will not leave until the last minute."

Rebel leaders complain that NATO's mandate of limited engagement should be expanded to allow allied warplanes to strike at Gaddafi forces in coordina tion with rebel attacks.

"NATO hits one tank and then goes home," said Ibrahim Taher, a battalion commander in Zintan who lost eight fighters on Wednesday. "NATO could change this war in a day if they wanted to."

The foreign leaders meeting in Istanbul spent much of Friday debating the sincerity of recent Gaddafi emissaries, who say he is ready to step down. U.S. officials believe Gaddafi's camp is sending contradictory signals, and are not convinced he is prepared to give up his power.

"There are a lot of straws in the wind," a second U.S. official said. "We are not persuaded yet that any of this is decisive in terms of the red lines that we have laid out."

The meeting in Turkey is the fourth official meeting of the international contact group. For the first time, China and Russia were invited to attend. But the two countries have been less critical of Gaddafi, and both declined.

Correspondent William Booth in Zintan, Libya, contributed to this report.

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US to recognize Libyan rebels as legitimate government 2011-07-15T13:12:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: admin