Libyan rebels ask Russia to open mission in Benghazi

Margelov, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament's upper house, held talks with Libya's opposition Transitional National Council (TNC) in rebel-held Benghazi on Tuesday.

"I reported to Moscow to the president [Dmitry Medvedev] about the proposal, which was made by the Transitional National Council, to open an information mission, or a mission on contacts and relationships," Margelov said. "Decisions of this kind in our country are made by the president, so we'll wait for a decision."

The Libyan opposition thanked Russia for not imposing a veto on the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya on March 17, paving the way for a military operation against embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafiwhich began two days later. The command of the operation was shifted from a U.S.-led international coalition to NATO in late March.

Rebels control much of Libya's east, but Gaddafi's forces retain control of most of the west of the country. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version