In a major setback for Muammar Qaddafi, a large bloc of the international community on July 15 recognised the opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) as the nation’s only legitimate body. The 40-nation International Contact Group on Libya, which also has representatives from the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and the African Union, announced the decision during a meeting in Istanbul. Qaddafi now faces near complete isolation. “We have agreed to recognise the NTC as the only legitimate voice of the Libyan people,” Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the United States also joined more than 30 countries in extending diplomatic recognition to the Benghazi-based NTC.
“The United States views the Qaddafi regime as no longer having any legitimate authority in Libya,” she said. “And so I am announcing today that, until an interim authority is in place, the United States will recognise the NTC as the legitimate governing authority for Libya, and we will deal with it on that basis.”