US to recognize Libyan rebels as legitimate government

Thirty-nation bloc recognizes Libyan rebels as legitimate government

Istanbul— The Associated Press 

More than 30 nations have declared that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime is no longer legitimate.

The nations, including the United States, declared Friday in a final statement following a meeting of the so-called Contact Group on Libya that the “Gadhafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya,” saying Mr. Gadhafi and certain members of his family must go.
The group says it will deal with the National Transitional Council, Libya's main opposition group, as “the legitimate governing authority in Libya” until an interim authority is in place.
The move keeps up the military pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and potentially free up cash the rebels urgently need.
In response, Mr. Gadhafi said the Libyan people rejected the declaration. In an audio speech carried on Libyan television, Mr. Gadhafi addressed tens of thousands of supporters in the town of Zlitan who gathered in a rally broadcast on Libyan television.
“Trample on those recognitions, trample on them under your feet ... They are worthless,” he said.
The recognition is a major upgrade for the opposition Transitional National Council, which has been seeking formal ties with the United States and others for months.
As it becomes increasingly clear that the council will govern a post-Gadhafi Libya, senior U.S. officials have said the Obama administration was preparing to strengthen ties once it presents detailed plans for a democratic and inclusive government.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pledged to special financial mechanism, but tens of millions in frozen Gadhafi regime assets in the U.S. and elsewhere are still inaccessible to rebels because of the lack of recognition and U.N. sanctions.Read more....