PARIS, July 21 (UPI) -- A Libyan transitional council leader said following talks with the French government that they could descend on Tripoli with the proper assistance.
Members of the international community last week in Istanbul recognized the rebel-backed Transitional National Council as a legitimate authority in Libya.
France, an early TNC supporter, was rapped for dropping weapons for rebel forces. Russia suggested the airdrop was a prelude for a ground invasion led by NATO forces supporting a no-fly zone over Libya enacted in March.
The U.N. Security Council passed a series of resolutions this year that authorized military force to protect civilians from attacks by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The language of the resolutions puts restrictions on the scope of the military engagement.
Rebel leaders and members of the TNC met in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to ask for more help in the fight.
"With a little help from some friends, we will be in Tripoli very soon, within days," TNC delegate Suleiman Fortia was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying.
A State Department official speaking to The Daily Telegraph in London said Washington had delivered a message to members of the Gadhafi regime saying it was time for the embattled leader to step aside.
Washington this week recommended that U.S. citizens leave the country immediately.
