'US to name envoy to Libyan opposition'

US President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States had decided to name an envoy to deal with the Libyan opposition and help them advance their goals.

US President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States had decided to name an envoy to deal with the Libyan opposition and help them advance their goals.

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"We have determined that it is appropriate for us to assign a representative whose specific job is to interact with the opposition and determine ways that can further help them," Obama told a White House press conference.

"And so we're going to be in close consultation with them," he said, recalling that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would meet the Libyan opposition during her trip to Tunisia and Egypt next week.

He also said the world had an "obligation" to prevent any massacre of Libyan civilians similar to past purges in Bosnia and Rwanda.