NATO campaign to continue while Libya resistance lasts

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France said on Thursday that NATO's air mission in Libya would continue as long as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi were putting up resistance in their remaining holdouts, and until the interim government requested its conclusion.

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet, attending a meeting of NATO Defense ministers, was asked under what conditions NATO would end the air mission.

"There should no longer be any pockets of resistance and the NTC must request it," Longuet told reporters.

"As for Gaddafi...as long as he disappears from the stage, that would be important, but not enough. The NTC wants to capture him, and one can understand that."

With Gaddafi now pushed from power and forces loyal to the new National Transitional Council in control of most of the country, NATO leaders have been assessing when it would be appropriate to end the military operation, now in its eighth month. Defense ministers were due to discuss the issue on Thursday.

Longuet said the capture of Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte would be important symbolically, but added: "It's not the whole of Libya. We still have some pro-Gaddafi resistance in Bani Walid for example and some ... movements scattered in the south of Libya."

Libyan government forces have been fighting their way street by street into Sirte and their commanders have said the battle for the city was entering its final hours [nL5E7L4483].

Taking Sirte would dispense with the biggest pocket of pro-Gaddafi resistance and allow the interim government to switch its focus to preparation for democratic elections.

On Wednesday, NATO said it would first assess the ability of Libya's new rulers to protect the civilian population. Alliance Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said ending U.N.-sanctioned military operations was not dependent upon locating Gaddafi, whose whereabouts are unknown.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he thought the mission would continue "as long as there's fighting that's continuing."

NATO launched its air and sea operation in March after the United Nations authorized the use of limited force to protect the civilian population from fighting between forces loyal to Gaddafi and rebels seeking the long-time leader's overthrow.

NATO extended the mission for another 90 days in late September, but says it wants to end it as soon as possible.

Rasmussen said NATO would be willing to help Libya's new rulers with security and defense reforms in future if requested.

A NATO military spokesman said on Wednesday NATO had not conducted any air strikes in Libya since Sunday. He said NATO aircraft were constantly patrolling the air above Sirte, conducting surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but he denied suggestions that they had fired weapons in recent days.

(Reporting By David Brunnstrom and Marine Hass, editing by Rosalind Russell)