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28 March 2024

Libyan rebels recognised as 'government authority'

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during the fourth Libya Contact Group Meeting in Istanbul, Friday, July 15, 2011 (AP)

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By AP

An international contact group on Libya meeting in Istanbul has agreed to recognise the Benghazi-based opposition as the "legitimate government authority in the territory of Libya," France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Friday.

Juppe said recognition of the rebel Transitional National Council was included in the final declaration to be released at the end of the one-day meeting in Istanbul.

The meeting has also agreed a road map whereby Muammar Gaddafi should relinquish power and all military responsibility and call a ceasefire. It also drew up plans for Libya's transition to democracy. Juppe said military operations would continue through the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts in August, unless a ceasefire was agreed.

More than 30 countries recognised the Libyan opposition as the "legitimate authority of Libya," officials said Friday, a move that would keep up the military pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and potentially free up cash the rebels urgently need.

Such a move would be a major upgrade for the opposition Transitional National Council, which has been seeking formal recognition from the United States and others for months.

Agencies