More than 30 countries say opposition is legitimate authority.
Rodrigo Abd / AP
The Libyan rebels may not be called rebels for long. The U.S. will recognize the rebel council as the legitimate government of Libya, opening the door for them to receive some of Libya's $30 billion in frozen assets. "I am announcing today that, until an interim authority is in place, the United States will recognize the TNC as the legitimate governing authority for Libya, and we will deal with it on that basis," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a meeting with Western and Arab leaders in Istanbul. More than 30 other countries also agreed to recognize Col. Muammar Gaddafi's opposition. The U.S. had balked at full recognition of the rebel council because they worried they wouldn't be capable of managing a stable post-Gaddafi transition.
