Willaim Hague urges Libyans to flesh out blueprint for leadership

Libyan rebels need to flesh out their plans for post-Gaddafi rule and convince members of the current Libyan administration that they could work together, the British Foreign Secretary has said.

Speaking on his return from rebel-held Benghazi yesterday, William Hague said he was confident that the rebels' desire for democracy was genuine, but conceded their blueprint was "embryonic".

"We're encouraging the National Transitional Council to put more flesh on their proposed transition - to lay out in more detail this coming week what would happen on the day that Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi went - who would be running what, how would a new government be formed in Tripoli?" said Mr Hague.

He said lessons had been learned from the lawlessness that followed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the plan put forward by the Transitional Council envisaged technocratic members of Col Gaddafi's government working alongside opposition members.

"They now need to publicise that more effectively, to be able to convince members of the current regime that that is something that would work," Mr Hague said.

He travelled to Benghazi on Saturday and held discussions with the National Transitional Council, which Britain recognises as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

Mr Hague said the Nato campaign against forces loyal to Col Gaddafi was intensifying. But he rejected suggestions Britain had strayed from the UN mandate to protect civilians.

"It is better to stay strictly within the United Nations resolutions, keeping all the legal, moral and widespread international support that comes from that, than it is to seek a short-cut to the end of this," Mr Hague said.

British and French attack helicopters struck inside Libya for the first time on Saturday.