NATO forces are continuing an intensified bombing campaign on the Libyan capital of Tripoli. For the second day in a row, Western warplanes struck areas in and around the city. The Libyan government says the air strikes have killed 19 people. South African President Jacob Zuma has announced he will visit Tripoli next week for talks with Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi. The United States, meanwhile, has bolstered ties with Libyan rebels, offering the National Transitional Council a representative office in Washington. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman announced the move after meeting rebel leaders in Benghazi.

Jeffrey Feltman: “As we have said many times, and as President Obama emphasized in his oral message from yesterday, in attacking, threatening and brutally suppressing the Libyan people, Col. Gaddafi has lost legitimacy to rule. He cannot regain control of Libya, and he must step down immediately.”