International organizations and countries are continuing their consultations over Libya as NATO continues its air strikes on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces, especially on "specific" targets.

In the meantime, the United States authorized 25 million dollars in aid to the Libyan opposition.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in New York on Tuesday that his special envoy to Libya, Abdelilah Al-Khatib, Friday will travel to Benghazi, the stronghold of Libyan rebels, on an "imperative" mission to protect civilians or secure a political solution.

Ban told reporters at the end of the UN Security Council closed-door consultations that the humanitarian situation is "growing increasingly urgent" and "diplomatic efforts focus on securing a ceasefire and achieving a political solution".

"It is also clear that the Libyan regime has lost both legitimacy and credibility, particularly in terms of protecting its people and addressing their legitimate aspirations for change," Ban said.

He also said that over the past weekend, the United Nations established a humanitarian presence in Tripoli similar to the one in Benghazi.

Libya urged Russia on Tuesday to call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss what it called the "colonial and crusader aggression" against it and the attempt to "target Gaddafi", state-run JANA news agency reported.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet