Tunis recognizes Libyan rebels as country's rep
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tunisia's Foreign Ministry has recognized the Libyan rebels' National Transitional Council as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, the official Tunisian TAP news agency reported Saturday.
The move represents a major shift in policy for Libya's neighbor to the west, which has remained neutral throughout the monthslong civil conflict that has seen rebels attempt to oust long-standing leader Moammar Gadhafi.
France and Italy were among the first nations to recognize the Benghazi-based NTC as the Libyan government, and the United States has also done so.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The NATO-supported rebels have steadily gained ground and are closing in on the capital, Tripoli.
Meanwhile on Saturday, TAP also reported Gadhafi's former No. 2 left the Tunisian island of Djerba for Italy after apparently defecting.
Abdel-Salam Jalloud's flight took off from the Djerba airport early Saturday, the report said, without providing any details. Rebels attempting to oust Gadhafi have said Jalloud has defected.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jalloud helped Gadhafi stage the 1969 coup that propelled him to power. He was Gadhafi's most trusted deputy for two decades and the regime's No. 2 official but began to clash with the leader in the 1990s.
The TAP report added that another top Libyan official, Oil Minister Omrane Boukraa, has not returned to Libya following a mission to Italy. He was expected to return home on Thursday.