20110629
xinhua
BENGHAZI, Libya, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria and Croatia recognized on Tuesday the Libyan opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

"Bulgaria and Croatia regard the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya as a legitimate representative of the Libyan people, " Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov said at a joint press conference with a representative of his Croatian counterpart during his one-day visit to the Libyan opposition stronghold of Benghazi on Tuesday.

"For more than three months the Libyan people have defended their right to freedom. Their legitimate demands have been met with violent attacks by the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. By brutally attacking his own people, Colonel Gaddafi has lost all legitimacy, " Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Gaddafi's era is over, and he must go immediately. Those accused of crimes against humanity will be held to account before judgments of the International Criminal Court," Mladenov said.

The visit of Bulgaria's top diplomat came just one day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, accusing him of crimes against humanity.

More than four months after its establishment, the NTC has been lobbying world powers for supports and has been boosted by recognition from a series of countries such as France, Italy, Britain, Germany, Spain, Qatar and the UAE.