ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey will present a “road map” to help end the Libyan crisis when countries backing NATO's military mission in Libya gather in Istanbul to rev up pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi to step aside, Turkey's foreign ministry said Thursday. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and some 40 other members of the so-called Contact Group on Libya will hold their fourth meeting on Friday to support a post-Qadhafi era, boost support to the Libyan main opposition group and plot steps for a political transition. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said Thursday nations participating in the fourth Contact Group meeting were expected to discuss a Turkish plan delineating political options to end the Libyan crisis despite Qadhafi's refusal to stand down, and to set the stage for a democratic transition. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the ministry's rule, would not provide further details of what Turkey was bringing to the table. NATO has been bombing Qadhafi's forces and military sites to enforce a UN resolution to protect civilians. Still, the civil war has fallen into a virtual stalemate, with neither side able to make significant progress in recent weeks. Clinton warned Qadhafi late Wednesday that his days in power are numbered and that the international community will be stepping up pressure on him to leave. Libyan rebels have enlarged the area under their control in the west and inched closer to a key supply route to the capital Tripoli. US officials say pressure appears to be building against Qadhafi's regime after months of apparent stalemate. They point at three key indicators: dwindling fuel supplies, a cash crisis and reports of low morale among regime troops. Qadhafi is also facing a cash crisis after Turkey cut off his access, on 4 July, to hundreds of millions in Libyan funds held in a Turkish-Libyan bank, they say. The assessment comes as French authorities describe overtures from Libyan emissaries reportedly seeking sanctuary for the Libyan leader, who has survived sustained bombing by NATO war planes and US armed drones since mid-March. Clinton said Qadhafi associates were sending mixed messages about whether he would be willing to step down. Many of the Contact Group nations have formalized ties with Libya's opposition Transitional National Council and provide it with financial assistance. At a meeting in the United Arab Emirates last month, the international contact group pledged more than US$1.3 billion to help support the council. Italy said Wednesday a the shift among some African leaders to discuss a Libya without Qadhafi was a significant development that should help spur a political resolution to the conflict. Foreign Ministry spokesman Maurizio Massari said Wednesday there was now a “convergence” with the African Union about negotiating a post-Qadhafi Libya.
