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11 de março de 2011Moving ahead of its allies, France said on Thursday that it would become the first country to recognize Libya’s rebel leadership in the eastern city of Benghazi and would soon exchange ambassadors with the insurgents.
The move was a victory for the Libyan National Council in its quest for recognition and a setback for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi who has been seeking whatever international support he can as NATO members in Brussels began a debate about the possible imposition of a no-fly zone.
The French announcement came as loyalist forces in Libya claimed new successes against the rebels west of the capital in the town of Zawiyah, while, to the east, anti-Qaddafi forces said they were counter-attacking near the key oil town of Ras Lanuf.
President Nicolas Sarkozy met in Paris on Thursday with Mahmoud Jibril and Ali Al-Esawi, representatives of the Libyan National Council which was set up after the uprising in Libya erupted in February. He was the first head of state to meet with insurgent leaders.
Soon afterward, a French announcement said France recognized the council as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
The move puts France ahead of other European powers which have been seeking ways of supporting the rebels in their goal of toppling Colonel Qaddafi. Normally, European Union countries say they recognize states, not governments, but the European Parliament has advocated recognition of the Benghazi rebels.
France has also set itself apart from some other Europeans by suggesting that support for the rebels should be authorized by the United Nations Security Council, not NATO, since the alliance has an aggressive image in the Arab world.
The French foreign minister, Alain Juppé, said on Wednesday, “It’s necessary to act now to stop the murderous repression that the Qaddafi regime continues to deploy. France has taken a very clear position: NATO is not the organization best designed to do it.”
In Brussels, NATO officials said on Thursday that the alliance has started 24-hour surveillance of Libyan airspace where Colonel Qaddafi has deployed warplanes against rebels trying to advance westward toward loyalist strongholds along the shores of the Gulf of Sirte. News reports on Thursday said loyalist forces had deployed artillery and air strikes against loyalists near Ras Lanuf.
The Associated Press quoted an official as saying a Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control plane took up position to monitor Libyan flights early on Thursday. NATO has 17 such surveillance aircraft, based in Luxembourg. Some of them already operate over Afghanistan, The A.P. said.
The insurgent council has been pressing for foreign aid amid divisions over the extent of foreign intervention in a revolt that rebel leaders want to preserve as a home-grown phenomenon. The insurgents have acknowledged being overwhelmed by the myriad tasks and challenges facing then.
“We’ve found ourselves in a vacuum,” Mustafa Gheriani, an acting spokesman for the provisional leadership, said Tuesday in Benghazi. “Instead of worrying about establishing a transitional government, all we worry about are the needs — security, what people require, where the uprising is going. Things are moving too fast.”
