France said today that it recognised Libya's opposition national council as the country's "legitimate representative."
The announcement was made after President Nicolas Sarkozy met Libyan Opposition envoys in Paris.
France also said it would send an ambassador to the rebel-held city of Benghazi.
The national council is the only "legitimate representative of the Libyan people," the French presidency said in a statement.
Meanwhile the fighting in Libya today appears to be concentrated on Ras Lanuf.
Libyan government forces advanced closer towards the key rebel-held town, heavily shelling the western approach and carrying out an air strike behind rebel lines, AFP reporters said.
Sustained shelling exploded a few kilometres west of Ras Lanuf, to which scores of rebels retreated yesterday, some hitting barely a kilometre from the residential compound for the town's oil workers.
Mortars and Katyusha rockets smashed into the desert on both sides of the highway. Rebels could be seen retreating east and other rebels walked towards the front, armed with just Kalashnikov rifles.
About 10 rockets were fired from government positions into an orchard three kilometres (about two miles) west of Ras Lanuf, where trees went up in flames.
On the other side of the road, two pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns crashed into each other as they revved up in panic to retreat.
"Anyone who has been trained to use the Grad (missile), please come," shouted one rebel into a megaphone.
Ambulances raced back from the front towards rebel-held towns further east as rebels hit the sand to cower from the incoming fire.
"Where the hell are you going? You're going to die a useless death," one rebel soldier shouted at a group walking head-long into the direction of incoming shelling, carrying just Kalashnikovs.
As the shells appeared to move closer towards Ras Lanuf, one exploded around 30 (metres) yards from an AFP reporter.
Warplanes circled overhead.
There were pockets of rebels along the road, scattered in various locations but no large gathering was visible.
AFP reporters said smoke still plumed out of an oil facility on the outskirts of Ras Lanuf, where a series of massive explosions erupted into giant fire balls on Wednesday, but that live flames were no longer visible.
Roughly eight kilometres east of Ras Lanuf, a Libyan fighter jet carried out an air strike that appeared to target rebel positions in the desert.
The warplane was heard roaring low in the sky before a plume of smoke shot onto the horizon. The missile appeared to land in the desert, but it was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties or damage.
Rebels on the western outskirts of town opened fire towards a plane flying overhead with anti-aircraft gun as the loudspeaker fixed to the minaret on the mosque cried out: "God is greater, there's no God but Allah."
"They're shelling us with Grad missiles," shouted one rebel from the road, after what had been a relatively quiet start to the morning.