Turkey reopened its embassy in Libya on Friday, a day after world leaders agreed to unfreeze billions of dollars of Libyan assets to help the country's interim government rebuild.

The Turkish foreign ministry said its diplomatic team with new ambassador Ali Kemal Aydin left Ankara for Tunisia Thursday and was traveling to Tripoli to start work.

Meanwhile on Thursday, world leaders meeting in Paris — including France, Britain and others — pledged $15 billion in financial and humanitarian support to Libya's provisional government. They also promised to maintain their military operations as long as needed but said the focus is now on reconstruction.

Separately, more countries — notably Romania and Russia — recognized the NTC as Libya's “ruling authority.” Moscow had opposed NATO military intervention in the Libyan conflict.

In other news, a military official with Libya's interim government called Mr. Gadhafi “delusional,” in response to the former leader's recent audio messages calling for his supporters to continue fighting.

NTC military spokesman Colonel Ahmad Bani said late Thursday that Mr. Gadhafi has no connection to Libyans at all and accused him of trying to flee the country.

Bani also said the NTC's forces want to “avoid bloodshed,” as they seek to take over Mr. Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte. But he said they are “ready and able to have a decisive battle,” if Gadhafi loyalists there do not surrender within the next week.

Bani's comments follow the broadcast of two audio messages attributed to Mr. Gadhafi on Arabic television news channels earlier Thursday.

In the messages, Mr. Gadhafi said his loyalists would never surrender and would leave the country “engulfed in flames” from guerrilla warfare. He also accused NATO of seeking to occupy Libya and vowed to prevent oil exports.

NTC forces, who have effectively ended Mr. Gadhafi's rule, have given loyalist fighters in Sirte an additional week to surrender. The NTC had originally set a Saturday deadline, but then said negotiations with tribal elders had made progress. The extension of the deadline also applies to other strongholds of Gadhafi supporters.