ROME an international coalition against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi met Thursday to seek ways to obtain funds to a underequipped rebel movement which is fast cash short-term.
As the conflict in Libya to the ground in the impasse, the rebels of the National transition Council (TNC) appealed for loans up to $ 3 billion to meet pressing needs, including food and medicine.
Request met with a cautious response from Western Governments already faced with serious financial problems that are specific to them so far, but the Rome meeting should seek ways around legal obstacles that hamper funding rebels.
"We are going to discuss a financial mechanism, we will discuss other forms of assistance," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Italian Franco Frattini before of the third meeting of the coalitionwhich includes more than 20 countries.
"I will formally announce our non-lethal assistance so I think that there is an emergency effort to respond to requests which makes the CNC," said.
In a speech to be delivered at the meeting, Frattini said a fund called the temporary financial mechanism would be established to channel money to the CNC.
The Qatar, the Arab partisan leader of the Libya uprising, thanked for its efforts to establish the Fund.
He was called to the other members of the coalition to join the Italy and the France by recognizing the rebel movement and said that the group must show the determination to put an end to the rule of Gaddafi.
"We step allow a divided Libya and insecure as a playground for mercenaries of Gaddafi," said Frattini.
United Nations sanctions have prevented the rebels, based primarily in the eastern part of the country, from the sale of oil on international markets, and there were legal obstacles to access to the Libyan State assets frozen abroad.
Meeting of the Contact Group of the so-called Libya Thursday, will bring together the Foreign Ministers of the countries, including the France, Great Britain, the United States, Italy and Qatar and representatives of the Arab League, African Union and the United Nations.
The meeting is not expected to address military issues, but Ministers are likely to re-state their confidence in the NATO operations against the forces of Gaddafi, despite the lack of progress since the initial air strikes led from the stronghold of rebels in the East of Benghazi in March.
"Our action to protect civilians is essential to open the political phase," said Frattini. "More quickly in this case, faster political solution can begin."
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