DIPLOMACY

U.K. Props Up Libya Rebels

Unfreezes assets, officially recognizes Gaddafi foes.

Libyan rebels have scored another diplomatic victory, earning official recognition by the British government. The U.K. will also unfreeze $150 million in Libyan oil assets to assist the fighters. Meanwhile, four months into their air campaign, several NATO countries may be sweetening their offer to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. France seems to have convinced Britain to allow Gaddafi to remain in Libya—if he agrees to step down. The shift fits with the position of the U.S. State Department, which is that Gaddafi's fate should be left to the Libyan people. “What happens to Qaddafi is ultimately a question for the Libyans,” said the British foreign secretary, William Hague.