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Libyan rebels meet high-ranking US diplomat, tell Russia they won’t have any talks with Qaddafi

AL ARABIYA, 24 May 2011
Libyan rebels received another signal for US support as a high-ranking diplomat visited the de facto rebel capital in eastern Libya Monday.


Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, is on a three-day-visit, during which he will be meeting with the National Transitional Council’s head Mustafa Abdul-Jalil and others, The Associated Press reported.


An AP reporter knows no other information as Mr. Feltman declined to answer questions.


France, Italy and Qatar have officially recognized the NTC; the United States, Britain and others have established a diplomatic presence in Benghazi.


The United States also continued its vociferous denunciation of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime and called him to leave the embattled country as their senior envoy continued his talks with the rebels.
Mr. Feltman’s visit follows the opening of a European Union office on Sunday by that body’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, who said she looked forward to a better Libya “where Qaddafi will not be in the picture.”


Rebel leaders welcome the diplomatic contact, but say only better weapons will help them defeat Qaddafi.


But the rebels will be receiving helicopters as France and Britain said they would be consolidating NATO’s air campaign. The EU has also widened sanctions against Colonel Qaddafi’s regime.


Sources told Le Figaro newspaper that France for the first time since the start of the Western offensive was aiding the rebels against the Qaddafi forces in using highly advanced helicopters with great precision to achieve a faster victory against the autocrat.


According to the newspaper, the helicopters can achieve the aimed target of toppling the regime before July.


The newspaper also said that the helicopters were important to alleviate civilians’ death and injury as Mr. Qaddafi’s goons were using Libyan civilians as human shields.


One source told the daily that “sending a ship laden with the helicopters also mean that land deployment is imminent,” but the source refused to outline a timeframe for the suggested land deployment.


The French ship “Tonnerre” or “Thunder” also carried armored vehicles, the sources said.


Meanwhile, a Libyan rebel negotiator told Russia on Monday that Benghazi would never negotiate with Qaddafi and viewed the West’s current military intervention as fair, the Agence-France Presse reported.


NTC representative Abdel-Rahman Shalgam also told Moscow the rebels were not interested in seeing a NATO-led ground campaign in Libya—a comment aimed at easing Russia’s main fear about the conflict.


“Qaddafi must quit and cease fire,” news agencies quoted Mr. Shalgam as saying after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.


“We are not going to talk to him,” Mr. Qaddafi’s former ally and United Nations envoy told Russia’s top diplomat.


He added that the Western air offensive was prescribed by the UN Security Council—of which Russia is a veto-wielding member—“and is aimed at protecting the civilian population.”


The comments came as a direct response to Russia’s repeated demand for the West halt its campaign and give the two sides a chance to hold direct talks.


Monday’s meeting came less than a week after Mr. Lavrov hosted a close ally of Colonel Qaddafi and marked the latest effort by Russia to position itself as a mediator in the North Africa conflict.

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