Libyan rebel official set for White House talks

US: Senior Libyan rebel Mahmud Jibril was scheduled to hold his first talks at the White House on Friday, but his calls for Washington to recognize his movement as the country’s rightful rulers look set to be dashed.

Jibril also warned ahead of talks with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon that the opposition-led National Transitional Council (NTC) was running short of money and was in desperate need of help in its fight with Moamer Kadhafi.

US officials would not say whether President Barack Obama would drop by Jibril’s meeting with Donilon, a practice sometimes used by the White House for guests for whom protocol does not dictate an official meeting.

Asked by CNN television what he expected from Friday’s talks with the US administration, Jibril replied: “We need the recognition.”

The Libyan opposition, based in the eastern city of Benghazi wanted Washington to recognize the body as “the sole legitimate interlocutor of the Libyan people,” he added.

Unlike France, Italy and Qatar, the United States has not yet recognized the NTC. Jibril told CNN he believed that Jordan would recognize the opposition in the coming days.

“All we need is for the world to understand our cause and help us get our legitimate rights realized,” he said.

But White House spokesman Jay Carney signaled that Washington, which helped launch the NATO military operation against Kadhafi’s forces but has since taken a support role, was not ready to grant full status to the NTC.

“If the question is recognizing the (NTC) as the official government of Libya, I think that’s premature,” he said.

But Carney added: “We think that the Council serves and has served as a credible and legitimate interlocutor for the Libyan people, for the opposition.”

Jibril, the senior Libyan figure who handles foreign policy for the NTC, has also been meeting senior congressional figures and other administration officials in Washington.

He warned earlier that the Council was facing a “very acute financial problem” and needed help from the US administration. Washington, Friday, AFP