BENGHAZI, Libya — MoaMmar Khadafy “must leave power and Libya,” said a US statement released Monday as Washington’s most senior envoy to date held talks in the rebel capital Benghazi.
During his three-day visit starting Sunday, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was holding talks with leaders of the rebels’ Transitional National Council (TNC), including its chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil.
“Feltman’s visit is another signal of the US’s support for the [TNC], a legitimate and credible interlocutor for the Libyan people,” a statement released by the US representative’s office to the council said.
The statement added, “The United States remains committed to protecting Libyan civilians and believes that Khadafy must leave power and Libya. The Libyan people, like people everywhere, have the right to determine their own future and the United States will continue to support them and to work with the [TNC] in this endeavor.”
Meanwhile, the French daily Le Figaro reported Monday that France was dispatching attack helicopters to take part in operations against Khadafy’s military assets.
The military said a French aircraft carrier had set off from a port in the Mediterranean but did not confirm the report that it was carrying helicopters to Libya.
The use of attack helicopters would allow more precise strikes on targets in Libya that warplanes are unable to reach for fear of civilian casualties.