France became the first Western nation to recognise the Libyan opposition's newly formed transitional council on Thursday as European countries used financial sanctions to further isolate Moammar Gadhafi's government. Both sides in the Libyan conflict were mounting diplomatic presses in Europe as the European Union and Nato kicked off two days of frantic activity to address the country's bloody crackdown.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with two representatives of Libya's Interim Governing Council, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, which was taken over by rebels in a deadly uprising that has spread throughout much of the oil-rich North African country. Sarkozy promised to exchange ambassadors with the council, according to his office, which described the move as a political gesture, not a legal recognition.
"We must now engage in dialogue with the new representatives in Libya," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said. The EU, meanwhile, hit Gadhafi's regime with more sanctions as it prepared to hold an emergency summit on Friday, and Nato defence ministers were discussing the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians from being bombed by government planes.
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