As NATO kept its military campaign on Tripoli, International Contact Group (ICG), meeting in Abu Dhabi, pledged more than $1.3bn to support the National Transitional Council.
As NATO kept its military campaign on Tripoli, International Contact Group (ICG), meeting in Abu Dhabi, pledged more than $1.3bn to support the National Transitional Council (NTC), the main body representing the Libyan opposition against embattled President Muammar Gaddafi.
NATO stepped up air raids , with large explosions echoing over Tripoli.
At least three strikes in the early hours of Friday sent plumes of smoke over Tripoli, and the direction of the strikes suggested that either the compound of Gaddafi or nearby military barracks were shelled.
The night strikes followed a total of 14 air attacks that were carried out on Thursday, considerably fewer than the heavy bombardment on Tuesday that flattened major buildings in Gaddafi's compound in the center of the city.
The continued air raids came as Gaddafi forces renewed their shelling near the opposition-held western city of Misurata on Wednesday, killing at least 12 fighters.
FINANCIAL PLEDGE
Foreign ministers from the 22 western and Arab nations gathered Thursday in the UAE capital for talks to plan a Libya after Gaddafi is forced out.
Italy and France offered a combined $1.02bn while Kuwait and Qatar promised a combined $280m to a fund set up to provide transparent assistance to the opposition.
Turkey has established a $100m fund to support the Libyan opposition government based in Benghazi, Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said.
For their part, opposition figures considered there was shortage of funds. The former Libyan ambassador to the United Nations, who defected from Gaddafi’s regime, Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, said the opposition needed $3bn to cover salaries and food costs for the next four months.
Ali Tarhouni, the opposition finance minister, urged nations to allow the council to use the funds as collateral for loans.
"Our people are dying," he said.
"It's been almost four months now and nothing has materialized so far. Our message to our friends is that I hope that they walk the walk."
US “MINI” PLEDGE
On the other hand, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged financial pledge as saying: "We are ready for the establishment of financial mechanism for the money to flow to the National Transitional Council".
However the US was not offering any direct aid to the NTC. Clinton said Washington would its humanitarian aid to all Libyans by $26.5m.
GADDAFI’S DAYS “NUMBERED”
Also on Thursday, Clinton said that Gaddafi's days as leader of Libya were numbered.
"Gaddafi's days are numbered. We are working with our international partners through the UN to plan for the inevitable: a post-Gaddafi Libya".
Clinton added that talks were under way with people close to the Libyan leader and that there was "the potential" for a transition of power in Libya.
"There have been numerous and continuing discussions by people close to Gaddafi and we are aware that those discussions include, among other matters, the potential for a transition," she said. She gave no further details on the talks, other than to say "there is not any clear way forward yet".
