World powers attending the London conference on Libya have agreed to form a contact group to direct political efforts in the country. They will also continue military action there.

Top diplomats from 40 countries met for crisis talks to discuss the future of the North African country.

A statement released by the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, says participants reaffirmed their commitment to full and swift implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Libya and to continuing military action to enforce them.

The statement says the military intervention in Libya has so far been "successful in protecting countless civilians from Gaddafi's forces and in effectively wiping out Gadhafi's air capability."

Hague says possible sanctions will be pursued at the UN and regional organizations.

Qatar is among the countries which have recognized the rebels as Libya's legitimate representatives. Qatari Prime Minister at the conference suggested that the Libyan issue should be redressed if airstrikes alone failed to accomplish their stated goal of protecting Libyan civilians.

Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani said, "We are not talking here about invading Libya, or we are not inviting any military ground (troops) to be, but we have to evaluate the situation, because we cannot let the people suffer for so long, we have to find a way to stop this bloodshed."

US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton acknowledged the US-led coalition doesn't know as much as it would like about the rebels, whether they include al-Qaida or other extremists.

She said, "We are picking up information, a lot of contact is going on... so we're building an understanding, but at this time obviously it is, as I say, a work in progress," she told reporters.

Clinton says the conference is taking place at a moment of transition, as NATO takes over as leader of the coalition mission, an undertaking in which the US will continue to play an active supporting role.

She says there is no timeline and it appears Gadhafi has made no decisions yet about his future.