"I would encourage every nation, especially the United
States, to recognize the Transitional National Council as the legitimate voice
of the Libyan people. They have earned this right," McCain said at a news
conference in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya.
He was all praise for the fighters. "I have met these
great fighters and they are not Al-Qaeda. To the contrary, they are Libyan
patriots who want to liberate their nation. We should help them do it," he
said.
In Paris, an aide to the French president said Nicolas
Sarkozy has agreed in principle with the TNC to travel to Benghazi. He,
however, said the timing of the visit and other details need to be worked out
and the trip was not imminent.
A source close to the presidency said Friday France was
considering suspending its commitments under the Schengen treaty on border-free
travel in the European Union due to an influx of migrants from Tunisia and
Libya. "It seems to us that we need to think about a mechanism that would
allow us, when there is a systematic disruption at one of the EU's external
borders, to intervene with a temporary suspension for as long as the disruption
lasts," the source said.
