Embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi has dismissed the decision of several countries to recognize the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. In an audio message broadcast Friday night on state-run Libyan TV, Gaddafi addressed his supporters, telling them to “trample this silly recognition under your feet,” DPA reported.
“This is our answer to all the decisions they took against the Libyan people,” Gaddafi said.
On Friday, officials from over 30 countries, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, attended the so-called Libya Contact Group meeting in Istanbul, where they agreed to recognize the National Transitional Council.
“The Gaddafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya,” the group said in a statement.
Ms. Clinton said the Transitional National Council “continues to gain legitimacy as the representative of the Libyan people” and conducts “high-level diplomacy with governments worldwide.”
Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between revolutionaries and forces loyal to Gaddafi since mid-February that has left hundreds dead and thousands injured.
The Libyan capital Tripoli and some western provinces remain under Gaddafi's control while the revolutionaries hold Benghazi, most of the east, and several western cities.
NATO recently intensified its attacks on Libya, ostensibly to increase pressure on Gaddafi.
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