NATO should step up its attacks on Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's compound in order to hasten his exit, French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet has stated.

By stepping up the bombardments, NATO will show that there is no place Gaddafi could consider his sanctuary, Longuet has explained, according to DPA.

Officially NATO operates under a mandate by the UN to impose a weapons embargo and no-fly zone over Libya, in order to protect the civilian population. The Alliance has never officially stated it wants to kill or capture Muammar Gaddafi.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy had a phone conversation with British Prime Minister David Cameron, after which they agreed to "continue their efforts in support of the legitimate Libyan authorities as long as Colonel Gaddafi refuses to lay down arms."

Even though some suspect the dictator is still in Tripoli, his whereabouts are still unknown. On Tuesday, Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's oldest son, staged an appearance in Tripoli in order to disprove the rebels' claims they caught him 24 hours ago.

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