Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The United States put all its machinery including President Barack Obama to reiterate that a broad multinational coalition is behind the Libyan military operations and there is a strict adherence to the conditions outlined in the United Nations mandate.

Speaking in Santiago, Chile, President Obama admitted that the U.S. played a leading role in the opening days of Libyan mission, adding that Washington is now working towards a transition, “in which we are one of the partners among many who are going to ensure that no-fly zone is enforced, and the human protection that needs to be provided continues to be in place.”

President Obama blamed Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi of failing to heed the directive from the United Nation, saying, “He, despite words to the contrary, was continuing to act aggressively toward civilians,” adding, “After consulting with our allies, we decided to move forward.”

Defining the purpose of immediate action after the U.N. gave the go-ahead, Obama said, it helped to stop advances on Benghazi and sent “a clear message to Gaddafi that he needed to start pulling his troops back.”

Citing the commitment of the U.S. to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973′s humanitarian agenda, Obama said. “We are going to make sure we stick to that mandate.”

In Washington, Mark Toner, Acting Deputy Spokesman for the State Department told journalists that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is continuing her dialogue with regional leaders.

Toner said Secretary Clinton on Sunday, “spoke with Moroccan Foreign Minister Fassi-Fihiri, and then as well as the Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faysal.”

On Monday, Clinton spoke with President Obama “twice and with other senior national security officials, and she received – has received regular briefings from her team.”

“We continue to maintain contact, to talk to the Libyan opposition,” noted Toner, in sharp contrast to a statement at the Pentagon earlier.

Updating journalists at the Pentagon from his headquarter in Stuttgart, Germany, on Monday, U.S. Army General Carter F. Ham, commander, U.S. Africa Command said, “We do not provide close-air support for the opposition forces. We protect civilians.”

Gen. Ham is leading the coalition designed to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, which calls for the protection of Libyan civilians from Gaddafi’s forces and authorizes a no-fly zone over Libya.

“Some within the opposition may be civilians and if they are attacked by regime forces, then we would be obliged, if we possess the capability, to try to protect them from attack. But we have no mission and no intent to provide close-air support to the opposition,” the U.S. commander reiterated.

In reply to a question, the general stressed there are no U.S. boots on the ground saying, “No one who is a part of this coalition is on the ground,” stressing, “I don’t know how to be more clear than that: No military boots on the ground.”

On the other hand, the State Department admitted staying in direct touch with the opposition forces in Libya as Toner told journalists, “We don’t have eyes and ears on the ground in some of these places, so we’re sharing information but also getting their impressions of what’s happening.”

The U.S. does not want to see Gaddafi regime to continue “in the long run,” Toner said, “We have been clear that in the long term we don’t see Gaddafi as a legitimate ruler and we believe he should step down. We are going to, in the long term; continue to apply pressure on him and his associates.”

“We’re going to continue discussing with the opposition, working with them, trying to get a feel as they develop as well as an opposition,” Toner added.

Toner, however, refused to name the opposition groups the U.S. is talking with now, saying, “I think at this point it’s more broad-based, and we’re trying to get a sense of how the opposition – I mean, the opposition has been coming together to some extent, but obviously it’s been under tremendous duress.”

“But we’re talking to many different elements, and I don’t want to really characterize it beyond that,” said State Department spokesman Toner.

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