Chairman of Libya's National Transitional Council Mustafa Abdel Jalil Wednesday urged NATO to extend its mission in Libya till the end of 2011, Al-Jazeera television reported.

Jalil made the request when addressing an international conference on Libya in the Qatari capital of Doha, the first since the death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last week.

Speaking at a news conference in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, NTC finance minister Ali Tarhouni said the interim Libyan ruling body wants NATO to continue its mission in the country for "at least one more month".

"I ask NATO to remain at least for another month," he said.

In Brussels, NATO, which earlier expressed its intention to end its seven-month mission in Libya on Oct. 31, has reportedly decided to make a formal decision on ending the mission when its decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council meets Friday.

Gaddafi, who ruled Libya with an iron grip, and his son Mutassim, were killed Thursday when NTC forces wrested control of his hometown of Sirte. On Sunday, the NTC officially declared Libya "liberated" at a ceremony in Benghazi.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)