Originally published Monday, May 23, 2011 at 6:34 AM

US official: Obama invites Libyan rebels to DC

The top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East says President Barack Obama has invited the Libyan rebels' National Transitional Council to open an office in Washington D.C., but he stopped short of formal recognition.

The Associated Press

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Ah, the angry wingnuts who cheered Ronny lobbing one at Libya way back when are in the... (May 23, 2011, by minus148) Read more

No, Vatar, NATO is what we call them when they are French and British. One of the... (May 23, 2011, by Tyrone Shoelaces) Read more

NATO has no real objective. It is floundering around, wasting billions of tax dollars... (May 23, 2011, by pness18) Read more

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BENGHAZI, Libya —

Tuesday's statement by Jeffrey Feltman comes hours after NATO launched its most intense bombardment yet against Moammar Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli.

Feltman told reporters in the eastern city of Benghazi that he expects Congress to vote soon to let frozen regime assets in the U.S. be used for purely humanitarian aid in Libya.

He says the Americans aren't negotiating with Gadhafi and the opposition council is considered the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. But he did not offer it formal recognition, as other countries have done.

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