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(CNN) -- Manchester City's pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri appears to be coming to an end after the two clubs agreed a fee for the French international.

Nasri had just one year remaining on his Arsenal contract and City's offer, believed to be in the region of $32 million, has persuaded the London club to cash in, despite manager Arsene Wenger's reluctance to lose the player he signed from Marseille in 2008.

The transfer was thought to have hit a stumbling block last week, resulting in Nasri appearing for Arsenal in their 2-0 home defeat by Liverpool on Saturday.

What now for Arsenal and Fabregas?

However, Nasri has been left out of Arsenal's squad for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Udinese, meaning he will not be cup-tied for City's own Champions League campaign.

The move, which is now dependent on Nasri passing his medical, will see the 24-year-old become the second player to join City from Arsenal since the end of last season, following defender Gael Clichy's switch, while Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor have also made the same move over the last two years.

Nasri follows captain Cesc Fabregas, who completed his transfer to Barcelona last week, out of the Emirates exit door, leaving Wenger with a massive influx of money available to him to reinforce his Arsenal squad by the close of the transfer window on August 31.

And Fabregas used his personal Twitter account to say: "Good luck to my friend Nasri at his new club. One of the best players around."

The Gunners have had a shaky start to the English Premier League season, with just one point and no goals from their opening two matches, leaving Wenger under more pressure than he has ever faced since becoming Arsenal manager 15 years ago.

And he must also take his depleted squad to Italy for Wednesday's crucial match against Udinese, with the Londoners holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg.

To added to Wenger's problems, he faces a two-match touchline ban from UEFA after he was charged with breaking the terms of a one-match ban during the first leg against Udinese.

In other transfer news, Premier League side Blackburn Rovers have completed their fourth signing of the transfer window, with 25-year-old Montenegro winger Simon Vukcevic joining from Sporting Lisbon on a three-year contract for a fee of $3m.

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(CNN) -- Manchester City's pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri appears to be coming to an end after the two clubs agreed a fee for the French international.

Nasri had just one year remaining on his Arsenal contract and City's offer, believed to be in the region of $32 million, has persuaded the London club to cash in, despite manager Arsene Wenger's reluctance to lose the player he signed from Marseille in 2008.

The transfer was thought to have hit a stumbling block last week, resulting in Nasri appearing for Arsenal in their 2-0 home defeat by Liverpool on Saturday.

What now for Arsenal and Fabregas?

However, Nasri has been left out of Arsenal's squad for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Udinese, meaning he will not be cup-tied for City's own Champions League campaign.

The move, which is now dependent on Nasri passing his medical, will see the 24-year-old become the second player to join City from Arsenal since the end of last season, following defender Gael Clichy's switch, while Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor have also made the same move over the last two years.

Nasri follows captain Cesc Fabregas, who completed his transfer to Barcelona last week, out of the Emirates exit door, leaving Wenger with a massive influx of money available to him to reinforce his Arsenal squad by the close of the transfer window on August 31.

And Fabregas used his personal Twitter account to say: "Good luck to my friend Nasri at his new club. One of the best players around."

The Gunners have had a shaky start to the English Premier League season, with just one point and no goals from their opening two matches, leaving Wenger under more pressure than he has ever faced since becoming Arsenal manager 15 years ago.

And he must also take his depleted squad to Italy for Wednesday's crucial match against Udinese, with the Londoners holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg.

To added to Wenger's problems, he faces a two-match touchline ban from UEFA after he was charged with breaking the terms of a one-match ban during the first leg against Udinese.

In other transfer news, Premier League side Blackburn Rovers have completed their fourth signing of the transfer window, with 25-year-old Montenegro winger Simon Vukcevic joining from Sporting Lisbon on a three-year contract for a fee of $3m.

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(CNN) -- As rebels in Libya made dramatic strides in Tripoli, pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces toughed it out Wednesday, striking back in volatile pockets across the city.

Get up to speed on some of the recent events in Libya, what Gadhafi may do, how united the opposition is and possible scenarios for the future as CNN's Tim Lister answers frequently asked questions on the latest:

What options does Gadhafi have, if at all? Will he be put on trial if caught?

Gadhafi has very few options left and they are diminishing all the time as his forces dwindle. It is very unlikely that he can communicate with the remnants of his loyalists in places like Sirte. He might have been in a position to strike some sort of deal allowing him free passage out of the country a month ago, but now Tripoli has fallen to the rebels and his headquarters has been overrun, he is a hunted man.

The National Transitional Council is insisting that if he is caught in Libya he will be put on trial. Its chairman, Mahmoud Jibril, told a news conference in Qatar on Tuesday: "We will provide him with a fair trial, but I have no idea how he will defend himself against these crimes that he committed against the Libyan people and the world." He said Gadhafi must be brought to justice for political assassinations, arrests and hangings.

And the spokesman for the NTC, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, told Egyptian television that Gadhafi must face trial in Libya before he can be transferred to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Tough battles ongoing in Libya

Libyans worry about Gadhafi's location

Who are the rebels in Libya?

CNN's Sara Sidner at Gadhafi's compound

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi in June. They are accused of crimes against humanity.

His spokesman has said Gadhafi plans to continue fighting the rebels -- for years if necessary. But to do so, he would have to stay in hiding and devise some sort of guerrilla resistance. He has few if any organized armed units at his disposal and few places that support him. There are still pockets of resistance to the NTC, with Gadhafi loyalists reported to be shelling towns west of Tripoli on Tuesday, and clashes in the Saharan town of Sabha, a Gadhafi stronghold.

In some ways Gadhafi's situation now resembles that of Iraq's Saddam Hussein after he fled Baghdad. He was on the run for nine months despite a huge U.S. military presence.

There is one ominous unknown: whether Gadhafi has procured any of Libya's stockpile of mustard gas. Western diplomats are concerned about the security of what remains of Libya's (weapons of mass destruction) program.

What will happen to Gadhafi loyalists?

Senior figures in the NTC have called for reconciliation and brotherhood, but that spirit may be difficult to inculcate among fighters on the ground. Gadhafi's mercenary forces from Africa have always been hated by Libyans. After 42 years of often brutal rule, when dissent has been crushed time and again, there is likely to be some settling of scores.

Much depends on how quickly security can be restored in Tripoli. Some loyalist commanders have already surrendered. Some human rights groups are urging Libya's new rulers to establish a truth and reconciliation commission rather than put Gadhafi supporters on trial.

At his news conference on Tuesday, Jibril, a former minister of justice in the Gadhafi regime, urged his fellow Libyans to show a sense of national purpose. "Show the world you can build a modern nation; we should prove that we are up to this revolution and are able to build a modern country," he said.

"We have to be transparent in front of the whole world. Now we have to concentrate on building and healing our wounds," Jibril said. Facts on the ground will dictate whether his appeal is heeded.

If Tripoli stays firmly in the opposition hands, is the war over? What other areas or other obstacles are they facing?

The risk to the NTC comes in two forms -- a lack of security compounded by the widespread availability of weapons and tribal/ethnic discord.

The pictures Tuesday of fighters carting heavy weaponry and boxes of ammunition from Gadhafi's Tripoli compound with no discipline were the latest example of the weaponized chaos that has overtaken Libya in recent months. A large army compound west of Tripoli was also raided over the weekend as rebels advanced on the capital.

Much depends on how quickly the NTC can instill discipline in its ranks and control who has what weapons. The other part of this equation is ensuring members of the Libyan police stay on the job and looting is prevented. The NTC is considering asking several Arab states to supply security forces to help stabilize the situation in Tripoli.

The NTC has been an uneasy coalition, and one in which western tribes have had little presence. Now it has to perform a delicate balancing act as it shifts from being a rebel movement born and headquartered in the east to being a government in waiting for all of Libya. The non-Arab Berber population of the western mountains will want autonomy and the right to revive their language and other cultural symbols. Large tribes that have been marginalized during the Gadhafi era will want a seat at the top table. And the fighters that bore the brunt of pro-Gadhafi forces' shelling in Misrata may not feel much loyalty to the political leadership in Benghazi.

Libya's new rulers also need to take drastic action to get the economy moving again, by pumping oil and ensuring roads, ports and airports are reopened to import basic supplies. Reports from Tripoli in the last few days suggest chronic shortages of some medical supplies. If they can move swiftly to improve the humanitarian situation, they will have a better chance of taking the Libyan people with them.

The NTC's stabilization group has been working for months on a transition plan, no doubt mindful of the chaos that engulfed Baghdad after Saddam Hussein was toppled. But executing this plan will demand organizational skills the rebels have yet to demonstrate.

The opposition movement is definitely gaining major ground but what about cohesiveness inside the movement? How unified are they?

The murder last month of the rebels' military chief, Abdel Fattah Younis, was the starkest evidence yet that the NTC is hardly a harmonious group. Only the quick promise of a reshuffle among its ranks prevented Younis' tribe from taking revenge.

The NTC was formed in a hurry and has a disparate mix of Libyan nationalists, secularists and intellectuals, with its center of gravity very much in the east of Libya. Younis' murder, followed by the confusion over the (non) arrest of Saif al-Islam Gadhafi has not exactly engendered confidence.

Given the long history of tension between east and western Libya, it's notable that the rebel units in the capital are largely from the west, and that there's been no march on the capital from rebel strongholds in the east.

In the NTC's favor, the United States and European governments have been wholehearted in backing it as Libya's "legitimate governing authority." The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, on Tuesday called the NTC "credible and reliable interlocutors."

The NTC will benefit from substantial technical and financial support from its supporters in the West and the Gulf. Qatar is organizing a donors' conference Wednesday with the aim of raising $2.4 billion, and the United States is moving swiftly to release $1.5 billion in frozen Libyan assets.

What are some possible scenarios for the next few months? Is a peaceful transition possible?

A peaceful if not perfect transition is plausible, but Libya is a huge country (1.75 million square kilometers) where all sorts of competing authorities are likely to emerge over the next few months. It's like releasing a pressure valve that's been closed for 42 years; there will be much jockeying for position. The NTC will have to show a unity of purpose and considerable finesse if it is to settle political arguments around a table rather than on the streets.

The worst-case scenario would see the NTC unable to stamp its authority on the country, and tribes organizing to protect and enrich themselves, as well as a window of opportunity opening for Islamist groups, which have had little role in the uprising but could exploit a political vacuum. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has a presence in several neighboring countries (including Algeria and Niger) and could take advantage of vast Saharan spaces should the government in Tripoli falter.

As one U.S. official put it Tuesday, there are three priorities in Libya now: security, security and security.

FOLLOW THIS TOPIC

(CNN) -- As rebels in Libya made dramatic strides in Tripoli, pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces toughed it out Wednesday, striking back in volatile pockets across the city.

Get up to speed on some of the recent events in Libya, what Gadhafi may do, how united the opposition is and possible scenarios for the future as CNN's Tim Lister answers frequently asked questions on the latest:

What options does Gadhafi have, if at all? Will he be put on trial if caught?

Gadhafi has very few options left and they are diminishing all the time as his forces dwindle. It is very unlikely that he can communicate with the remnants of his loyalists in places like Sirte. He might have been in a position to strike some sort of deal allowing him free passage out of the country a month ago, but now Tripoli has fallen to the rebels and his headquarters has been overrun, he is a hunted man.

The National Transitional Council is insisting that if he is caught in Libya he will be put on trial. Its chairman, Mahmoud Jibril, told a news conference in Qatar on Tuesday: "We will provide him with a fair trial, but I have no idea how he will defend himself against these crimes that he committed against the Libyan people and the world." He said Gadhafi must be brought to justice for political assassinations, arrests and hangings.

And the spokesman for the NTC, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, told Egyptian television that Gadhafi must face trial in Libya before he can be transferred to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Tough battles ongoing in Libya

Libyans worry about Gadhafi's location

Who are the rebels in Libya?

CNN's Sara Sidner at Gadhafi's compound

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi in June. They are accused of crimes against humanity.

His spokesman has said Gadhafi plans to continue fighting the rebels -- for years if necessary. But to do so, he would have to stay in hiding and devise some sort of guerrilla resistance. He has few if any organized armed units at his disposal and few places that support him. There are still pockets of resistance to the NTC, with Gadhafi loyalists reported to be shelling towns west of Tripoli on Tuesday, and clashes in the Saharan town of Sabha, a Gadhafi stronghold.

In some ways Gadhafi's situation now resembles that of Iraq's Saddam Hussein after he fled Baghdad. He was on the run for nine months despite a huge U.S. military presence.

There is one ominous unknown: whether Gadhafi has procured any of Libya's stockpile of mustard gas. Western diplomats are concerned about the security of what remains of Libya's (weapons of mass destruction) program.

What will happen to Gadhafi loyalists?

Senior figures in the NTC have called for reconciliation and brotherhood, but that spirit may be difficult to inculcate among fighters on the ground. Gadhafi's mercenary forces from Africa have always been hated by Libyans. After 42 years of often brutal rule, when dissent has been crushed time and again, there is likely to be some settling of scores.

Much depends on how quickly security can be restored in Tripoli. Some loyalist commanders have already surrendered. Some human rights groups are urging Libya's new rulers to establish a truth and reconciliation commission rather than put Gadhafi supporters on trial.

At his news conference on Tuesday, Jibril, a former minister of justice in the Gadhafi regime, urged his fellow Libyans to show a sense of national purpose. "Show the world you can build a modern nation; we should prove that we are up to this revolution and are able to build a modern country," he said.

"We have to be transparent in front of the whole world. Now we have to concentrate on building and healing our wounds," Jibril said. Facts on the ground will dictate whether his appeal is heeded.

If Tripoli stays firmly in the opposition hands, is the war over? What other areas or other obstacles are they facing?

The risk to the NTC comes in two forms -- a lack of security compounded by the widespread availability of weapons and tribal/ethnic discord.

The pictures Tuesday of fighters carting heavy weaponry and boxes of ammunition from Gadhafi's Tripoli compound with no discipline were the latest example of the weaponized chaos that has overtaken Libya in recent months. A large army compound west of Tripoli was also raided over the weekend as rebels advanced on the capital.

Much depends on how quickly the NTC can instill discipline in its ranks and control who has what weapons. The other part of this equation is ensuring members of the Libyan police stay on the job and looting is prevented. The NTC is considering asking several Arab states to supply security forces to help stabilize the situation in Tripoli.

The NTC has been an uneasy coalition, and one in which western tribes have had little presence. Now it has to perform a delicate balancing act as it shifts from being a rebel movement born and headquartered in the east to being a government in waiting for all of Libya. The non-Arab Berber population of the western mountains will want autonomy and the right to revive their language and other cultural symbols. Large tribes that have been marginalized during the Gadhafi era will want a seat at the top table. And the fighters that bore the brunt of pro-Gadhafi forces' shelling in Misrata may not feel much loyalty to the political leadership in Benghazi.

Libya's new rulers also need to take drastic action to get the economy moving again, by pumping oil and ensuring roads, ports and airports are reopened to import basic supplies. Reports from Tripoli in the last few days suggest chronic shortages of some medical supplies. If they can move swiftly to improve the humanitarian situation, they will have a better chance of taking the Libyan people with them.

The NTC's stabilization group has been working for months on a transition plan, no doubt mindful of the chaos that engulfed Baghdad after Saddam Hussein was toppled. But executing this plan will demand organizational skills the rebels have yet to demonstrate.

The opposition movement is definitely gaining major ground but what about cohesiveness inside the movement? How unified are they?

The murder last month of the rebels' military chief, Abdel Fattah Younis, was the starkest evidence yet that the NTC is hardly a harmonious group. Only the quick promise of a reshuffle among its ranks prevented Younis' tribe from taking revenge.

The NTC was formed in a hurry and has a disparate mix of Libyan nationalists, secularists and intellectuals, with its center of gravity very much in the east of Libya. Younis' murder, followed by the confusion over the (non) arrest of Saif al-Islam Gadhafi has not exactly engendered confidence.

Given the long history of tension between east and western Libya, it's notable that the rebel units in the capital are largely from the west, and that there's been no march on the capital from rebel strongholds in the east.

In the NTC's favor, the United States and European governments have been wholehearted in backing it as Libya's "legitimate governing authority." The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, on Tuesday called the NTC "credible and reliable interlocutors."

The NTC will benefit from substantial technical and financial support from its supporters in the West and the Gulf. Qatar is organizing a donors' conference Wednesday with the aim of raising $2.4 billion, and the United States is moving swiftly to release $1.5 billion in frozen Libyan assets.

What are some possible scenarios for the next few months? Is a peaceful transition possible?

A peaceful if not perfect transition is plausible, but Libya is a huge country (1.75 million square kilometers) where all sorts of competing authorities are likely to emerge over the next few months. It's like releasing a pressure valve that's been closed for 42 years; there will be much jockeying for position. The NTC will have to show a unity of purpose and considerable finesse if it is to settle political arguments around a table rather than on the streets.

The worst-case scenario would see the NTC unable to stamp its authority on the country, and tribes organizing to protect and enrich themselves, as well as a window of opportunity opening for Islamist groups, which have had little role in the uprising but could exploit a political vacuum. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has a presence in several neighboring countries (including Algeria and Niger) and could take advantage of vast Saharan spaces should the government in Tripoli falter.

As one U.S. official put it Tuesday, there are three priorities in Libya now: security, security and security.

FOLLOW THIS TOPIC

(CNN) -- Libya's rebel leaders claimed Monday they had captured three of Moammar Gadhafi's sons, including Saif al-Islam, who is wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court. But shortly afterwards, Saif appeared in public in Tripoli, where he spoke to reporters -- raising serious questions about the reliability of the rebels' account of events.

A day later it remains unclear whether Saif al-Islam was ever in rebel hands, while another Gadhafi son, Mohammed, reportedly escaped from rebel custody. It is also uncertain whether Saadi, the third son the rebels claimed to have captured, was in their custody either.

So how much does this dent the credibility of rebels? And can the Libyan people and the international community put their faith in the Transitional National Council (TNC) to lead the nation if the Gadhafi regime falls?

Observers say the reported arrest -- and prompt reappearance -- of Saif al-Islam are at the least an embarrassing distraction for the rebels as they seek to take control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Map: Tripoli hotspots

Gadhafi forces launch attack on airport

NATO: 'Final chapter' for Gadhafi

Tribes and Libya's future

Trying to 'avoid casualties' in Tripoli

The International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor told CNN Monday it had been talking to the rebels about transferring Saif al-Islam to its custody, by Tuesday was insisting it had never confirmed his capture, while Western diplomats faced questions over their wisdom in backing the rebel leadership.

Professor Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNN he did not believe the rebels had intended to mislead the wider world over the arrest of Saif al-Islam, seen as his father's heir apparent.

But, he said, the confusion was of great concern because it betrayed a lack of cohesion and competence in the Transitional National Council's leadership and exposed the group's structural weakness.

Rebel groups and militias were acting independently rather than as a unified military force, he said, and with that came a risk that the rebel assault would disintegrate into urban warfare and civil strife.

He said the rebel leadership needed to "up its game" and could not repeat the lack of openness shown when the rebel government's military commander, Gen Abdel Fattah Younis, died in murky circumstances in Benghazi last month.

"The lack of transparency raises serious questions. This is a de facto government -- they must get it. This is not amateurs' time," he said.

"They cannot afford to really make so many mistakes because once they lose their credibility, it's very difficult to repair."

Mahmoud Shammam, minister of information for the National Transitional Council, acknowledged that the situation over the reported capture of Saif Gadhafi was confusing.

"We admit our communications was not clear," he told CNN, saying it had been representatives in Benghazi who stated Saif was under arrest, rather than the prime minister.

The rebels did not know if Saif al-Islam Gadhafi had been arrested and escaped, he said, so they would have to confirm what happened with the leaders engaged in the fighting in Tripoli.

But, he said, confusion like this occurred in conflict situations, adding that the rebel forces were entering a big city with many different centers of operation.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi spotted in Tripoli

Gadhafi's army 'not human beings'

How soon can Libya export oil?

Pockets of Gadhafi loyalists remain

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the rebels had the confidence of the American government despite the conflicting information over Monday's arrests.

"We have definitely found them to be credible and reliable interlocutors," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer from Rome, saying the United States had been in close contact with the leadership in Benghazi, the rebels' eastern base.

Washington joined Britain and other Western powers in recognizing the NTC last month as the legitimate governing authority in Libya, adding to the pressure on Moammar Gadhafi to relinquish power to the rebels.

"Clearly in a situation as fluid as this that is evolving rapidly, there's going to be confusion, there's going to be misinformation, and those that are on the ground in Tripoli may or may not be in full and timely communication with the leadership outside of Tripoli," Rice said.

"Generally speaking, we've found in all of our engagements with the (NTC) that their leadership is reliable, principled and is working to do the right things."

Saad Djebbar, a lawyer who negotiated the release in Scotland two years ago of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of blowing up a Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie, echoed the view that it was unfair to judge the rebels as unreliable on the basis of miscommunications on the ground in Tripoli.

"We have to focus on the bigger picture now and see what the council does next," he told CNN.

Djebbar believes the NTC should focus on getting food and medical supplies to the people in areas of Libya no longer under Gadhafi's control, in order to demonstrate that life will be better under a new government.

And in order to reassure their allies in the West, the NTC must ensure law and order are established in the areas liberated from Gadhafi's forces, he said. Police and security forces should be retrained so they understand they exist to serve the people rather than the regime, he added.

The specter of Iraq's descent into violence and sectarian strife after the fall of Saddam Hussein hang over Libya -- and Djebbar sees the international community as having a key role to play in ensuring history is not repeated.

"The United States, United Kingdom, France and others should work now with practical steps to make sure that Libyans feel that their country has become a better place," he said. "This is not Iraq."

The credibility of a new government will rely on its swift formation and the inclusion of respected members of different communities, tribes, professions and religious groups, he said, to act as "trustees of the revolution and its values."

Omar Ashour, director of Middle East Studies for the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, said the rebels were trying to learn from their mistakes -- and the misfortunes of other countries such as Iraq -- in order to keep the trust of their international partners.

Speaking from Cairo, on his way to Tripoli, Ashour told CNN he believed the critical issue was one of transparency, so that the rebels could avoid the kind of damaging conflicting accounts that emerged over the death of Younis.

And however the NTC does, he believes the resulting government will be better than the corrupt regime headed by Gadhafi over the past four decades.

"It's a huge task but to be honest they are the best that we have in Libya at the moment," he said.

Gerges agrees that it would be wrong to judge the NTC too harshly for a handful of errors in its early days.

Not only is the movement less than a year old, he pointed out, but it is made up of many disparate ideological, social, regional and tribal groups that have yet to fully consolidate into institutions.

Gerges believes a functioning and inclusive government will develop given time, provided peace can be restored in Libya and that the TNC can translate its rhetoric into concrete policies.

"If I were to gamble, I would gamble on the rebels really rising to the occasion," he said.

CNN's Krsna Harilela contributed to this report.

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(CNN) -- Libya's rebel leaders claimed Monday they had captured three of Moammar Gadhafi's sons, including Saif al-Islam, who is wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court. But shortly afterwards, Saif appeared in public in Tripoli, where he spoke to reporters -- raising serious questions about the reliability of the rebels' account of events.

A day later it remains unclear whether Saif al-Islam was ever in rebel hands, while another Gadhafi son, Mohammed, reportedly escaped from rebel custody. It is also uncertain whether Saadi, the third son the rebels claimed to have captured, was in their custody either.

So how much does this dent the credibility of rebels? And can the Libyan people and the international community put their faith in the Transitional National Council (TNC) to lead the nation if the Gadhafi regime falls?

Observers say the reported arrest -- and prompt reappearance -- of Saif al-Islam are at the least an embarrassing distraction for the rebels as they seek to take control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Map: Tripoli hotspots

Gadhafi forces launch attack on airport

NATO: 'Final chapter' for Gadhafi

Tribes and Libya's future

Trying to 'avoid casualties' in Tripoli

The International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor told CNN Monday it had been talking to the rebels about transferring Saif al-Islam to its custody, by Tuesday was insisting it had never confirmed his capture, while Western diplomats faced questions over their wisdom in backing the rebel leadership.

Professor Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNN he did not believe the rebels had intended to mislead the wider world over the arrest of Saif al-Islam, seen as his father's heir apparent.

But, he said, the confusion was of great concern because it betrayed a lack of cohesion and competence in the Transitional National Council's leadership and exposed the group's structural weakness.

Rebel groups and militias were acting independently rather than as a unified military force, he said, and with that came a risk that the rebel assault would disintegrate into urban warfare and civil strife.

He said the rebel leadership needed to "up its game" and could not repeat the lack of openness shown when the rebel government's military commander, Gen Abdel Fattah Younis, died in murky circumstances in Benghazi last month.

"The lack of transparency raises serious questions. This is a de facto government -- they must get it. This is not amateurs' time," he said.

"They cannot afford to really make so many mistakes because once they lose their credibility, it's very difficult to repair."

Mahmoud Shammam, minister of information for the National Transitional Council, acknowledged that the situation over the reported capture of Saif Gadhafi was confusing.

"We admit our communications was not clear," he told CNN, saying it had been representatives in Benghazi who stated Saif was under arrest, rather than the prime minister.

The rebels did not know if Saif al-Islam Gadhafi had been arrested and escaped, he said, so they would have to confirm what happened with the leaders engaged in the fighting in Tripoli.

But, he said, confusion like this occurred in conflict situations, adding that the rebel forces were entering a big city with many different centers of operation.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi spotted in Tripoli

Gadhafi's army 'not human beings'

How soon can Libya export oil?

Pockets of Gadhafi loyalists remain

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the rebels had the confidence of the American government despite the conflicting information over Monday's arrests.

"We have definitely found them to be credible and reliable interlocutors," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer from Rome, saying the United States had been in close contact with the leadership in Benghazi, the rebels' eastern base.

Washington joined Britain and other Western powers in recognizing the NTC last month as the legitimate governing authority in Libya, adding to the pressure on Moammar Gadhafi to relinquish power to the rebels.

"Clearly in a situation as fluid as this that is evolving rapidly, there's going to be confusion, there's going to be misinformation, and those that are on the ground in Tripoli may or may not be in full and timely communication with the leadership outside of Tripoli," Rice said.

"Generally speaking, we've found in all of our engagements with the (NTC) that their leadership is reliable, principled and is working to do the right things."

Saad Djebbar, a lawyer who negotiated the release in Scotland two years ago of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of blowing up a Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie, echoed the view that it was unfair to judge the rebels as unreliable on the basis of miscommunications on the ground in Tripoli.

"We have to focus on the bigger picture now and see what the council does next," he told CNN.

Djebbar believes the NTC should focus on getting food and medical supplies to the people in areas of Libya no longer under Gadhafi's control, in order to demonstrate that life will be better under a new government.

And in order to reassure their allies in the West, the NTC must ensure law and order are established in the areas liberated from Gadhafi's forces, he said. Police and security forces should be retrained so they understand they exist to serve the people rather than the regime, he added.

The specter of Iraq's descent into violence and sectarian strife after the fall of Saddam Hussein hang over Libya -- and Djebbar sees the international community as having a key role to play in ensuring history is not repeated.

"The United States, United Kingdom, France and others should work now with practical steps to make sure that Libyans feel that their country has become a better place," he said. "This is not Iraq."

The credibility of a new government will rely on its swift formation and the inclusion of respected members of different communities, tribes, professions and religious groups, he said, to act as "trustees of the revolution and its values."

Omar Ashour, director of Middle East Studies for the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, said the rebels were trying to learn from their mistakes -- and the misfortunes of other countries such as Iraq -- in order to keep the trust of their international partners.

Speaking from Cairo, on his way to Tripoli, Ashour told CNN he believed the critical issue was one of transparency, so that the rebels could avoid the kind of damaging conflicting accounts that emerged over the death of Younis.

And however the NTC does, he believes the resulting government will be better than the corrupt regime headed by Gadhafi over the past four decades.

"It's a huge task but to be honest they are the best that we have in Libya at the moment," he said.

Gerges agrees that it would be wrong to judge the NTC too harshly for a handful of errors in its early days.

Not only is the movement less than a year old, he pointed out, but it is made up of many disparate ideological, social, regional and tribal groups that have yet to fully consolidate into institutions.

Gerges believes a functioning and inclusive government will develop given time, provided peace can be restored in Libya and that the TNC can translate its rhetoric into concrete policies.

"If I were to gamble, I would gamble on the rebels really rising to the occasion," he said.

CNN's Krsna Harilela contributed to this report.

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(CNN) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sat down for talks Wednesday in the eastern Siberian republic of Buryatia.

"Much attention (during the talks) will be paid to the topic of the soonest possible resumption of the six-party talks on resolving the nuclear problem in the Korean peninsula," a Kremlin statement released before the meeting said.

The last round of six-party talks that also involved South Korea, Japan, the United States and China took place in 2008.

While North Korea has called for the resumption of six-party talks without preconditions, the United States and South Korea have insisted on a tangible demonstration from North Korea that it is serious about denuclearization.

The Kremlin also said the two leaders will discuss prospects for three-way economic projects involving Russia, North Korea and South Korea. One of them involves building a gas pipeline that would annually transport 10 billion cubic meters from Russia to South Korea via North Korea, Russia's state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported.

Ahead of the the Kim's visit, Russia's foreign ministry announced Friday that it will send up to 50,000 tons of wheat to North Korea to alleviate some of that country's food shortage.

The first shipment of Russian grain arrived Friday, with shipments concluding in September.

Kim arrived to the meeting in an armored 1995 Mercedes S-class limousine, sporting his trademark khaki jumpsuit, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

"I am very happy to see you," Kim said. "We are meeting 10 years after we first met," Interfax reported.

"Yes, that was in Pyongyang," Medvedev replied. "I have warm memories of that visit,"

The session is taking place at a Russian army base outside of Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, some 5,600 kilometers (3,500 miles) east of Moscow.

This is Kim Jong Il's third visit to Russia. He came to Russia in 2001 and 2002, and like the previous two trips, traveled all the way from North Korea in his own armored train.

RIA-Novosti said Kim's train consists of 17 rail cars plus four Russian cars that were added in Russia's Far East to transport local Russian officials and extra security guards and service personnel.

CNN's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this story

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(CNN) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sat down for talks Wednesday in the eastern Siberian republic of Buryatia.

"Much attention (during the talks) will be paid to the topic of the soonest possible resumption of the six-party talks on resolving the nuclear problem in the Korean peninsula," a Kremlin statement released before the meeting said.

The last round of six-party talks that also involved South Korea, Japan, the United States and China took place in 2008.

While North Korea has called for the resumption of six-party talks without preconditions, the United States and South Korea have insisted on a tangible demonstration from North Korea that it is serious about denuclearization.

The Kremlin also said the two leaders will discuss prospects for three-way economic projects involving Russia, North Korea and South Korea. One of them involves building a gas pipeline that would annually transport 10 billion cubic meters from Russia to South Korea via North Korea, Russia's state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported.

Ahead of the the Kim's visit, Russia's foreign ministry announced Friday that it will send up to 50,000 tons of wheat to North Korea to alleviate some of that country's food shortage.

The first shipment of Russian grain arrived Friday, with shipments concluding in September.

Kim arrived to the meeting in an armored 1995 Mercedes S-class limousine, sporting his trademark khaki jumpsuit, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

"I am very happy to see you," Kim said. "We are meeting 10 years after we first met," Interfax reported.

"Yes, that was in Pyongyang," Medvedev replied. "I have warm memories of that visit,"

The session is taking place at a Russian army base outside of Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, some 5,600 kilometers (3,500 miles) east of Moscow.

This is Kim Jong Il's third visit to Russia. He came to Russia in 2001 and 2002, and like the previous two trips, traveled all the way from North Korea in his own armored train.

RIA-Novosti said Kim's train consists of 17 rail cars plus four Russian cars that were added in Russia's Far East to transport local Russian officials and extra security guards and service personnel.

CNN's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this story

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News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he had seen "no evidence" that 9/11 families' phones had been hacked.

New York (CNN) -- Families of victims of the 9/11 attacks are expected to meet with top Justice Department officials Wednesday to discuss whether any of their relatives' phone messages were hacked by employees of News Corp.

The FBI began investigating that claim amid a widespread scandal in Britain over the use of phone hacking by employees or associates of News Corp. papers there. The Wednesday meeting with Justice officials will update the families on the progress of the investigation, retired New York firefighter Jim Riches told CNN last month.

"We hope to find out results of the investigation and find out who was tapped, and whether they will hold any anyone accountable if it happened," said Riches, whose son died in the al Qaeda attack on New York's World Trade Center.

Norman Siegel, an attorney representing 9/11 families' organizations, said Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to take part in the meeting.

"We look forward to cooperating with both the FBI and the Department of Justice on this important matter," he said.

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch told British lawmakers in late July that he had seen "no evidence" that victims of the 9/11 attacks were victims of phone hacking by his employees and that he doesn't believe it happened. The FBI has said its investigation is ongoing.

"I look forward to getting as much information as we can about this deeply disturbing matter," said Sally Regenhard, whose son also was among the nearly 2,800 killed in the twin towers.

The scandal has led to the shuttering of the News of the World, once Britain's biggest Sunday paper; the resignations and arrests of two top former editors; and the resignations of two top British police officials amid allegations that reporters bribed law enforcement officers.

Several U.S. lawmakers pressed for an investigation on the American side after one of News Corp.'s tabloid rivals reported that a retired New York police officer was approached by News of the World reporters for help in hacking into phone records and voice mails of 9/11 families. The tabloid Daily Mirror did not identify the ex-officer.

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News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he had seen "no evidence" that 9/11 families' phones had been hacked.

New York (CNN) -- Families of victims of the 9/11 attacks are expected to meet with top Justice Department officials Wednesday to discuss whether any of their relatives' phone messages were hacked by employees of News Corp.

The FBI began investigating that claim amid a widespread scandal in Britain over the use of phone hacking by employees or associates of News Corp. papers there. The Wednesday meeting with Justice officials will update the families on the progress of the investigation, retired New York firefighter Jim Riches told CNN last month.

"We hope to find out results of the investigation and find out who was tapped, and whether they will hold any anyone accountable if it happened," said Riches, whose son died in the al Qaeda attack on New York's World Trade Center.

Norman Siegel, an attorney representing 9/11 families' organizations, said Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to take part in the meeting.

"We look forward to cooperating with both the FBI and the Department of Justice on this important matter," he said.

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch told British lawmakers in late July that he had seen "no evidence" that victims of the 9/11 attacks were victims of phone hacking by his employees and that he doesn't believe it happened. The FBI has said its investigation is ongoing.

"I look forward to getting as much information as we can about this deeply disturbing matter," said Sally Regenhard, whose son also was among the nearly 2,800 killed in the twin towers.

The scandal has led to the shuttering of the News of the World, once Britain's biggest Sunday paper; the resignations and arrests of two top former editors; and the resignations of two top British police officials amid allegations that reporters bribed law enforcement officers.

Several U.S. lawmakers pressed for an investigation on the American side after one of News Corp.'s tabloid rivals reported that a retired New York police officer was approached by News of the World reporters for help in hacking into phone records and voice mails of 9/11 families. The tabloid Daily Mirror did not identify the ex-officer.

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(CNN) -- Libya's rebel leaders claimed Monday they had captured three of Moammar Gadhafi's sons, including Saif al-Islam, who is wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court. But shortly afterwards, Saif appeared in public in Tripoli, where he spoke to reporters -- raising serious questions about the reliability of the rebels' account of events.

A day later it remains unclear whether Saif al-Islam was ever in rebel hands, while another Gadhafi son, Mohammed, reportedly escaped from rebel custody. It is also uncertain whether Saadi, the third son the rebels claimed to have captured, was in their custody either.

So how much does this dent the credibility of rebels? And can the Libyan people and the international community put their faith in the Transitional National Council (TNC) to lead the nation if the Gadhafi regime falls?

Observers say the reported arrest -- and prompt reappearance -- of Saif al-Islam are at the least an embarrassing distraction for the rebels as they seek to take control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Map: Tripoli hotspots

Gadhafi forces launch attack on airport

NATO: 'Final chapter' for Gadhafi

Tribes and Libya's future

Trying to 'avoid casualties' in Tripoli

The International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor told CNN Monday it had been talking to the rebels about transferring Saif al-Islam to its custody, by Tuesday was insisting it had never confirmed his capture, while Western diplomats faced questions over their wisdom in backing the rebel leadership.

Professor Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNN he did not believe the rebels had intended to mislead the wider world over the arrest of Saif al-Islam, seen as his father's heir apparent.

But, he said, the confusion was of great concern because it betrayed a lack of cohesion and competence in the Transitional National Council's leadership and exposed the group's structural weakness.

Rebel groups and militias were acting independently rather than as a unified military force, he said, and with that came a risk that the rebel assault would disintegrate into urban warfare and civil strife.

He said the rebel leadership needed to "up its game" and could not repeat the lack of openness shown when the rebel government's military commander, Gen Abdel Fattah Younis, died in murky circumstances in Benghazi last month.

"The lack of transparency raises serious questions. This is a de facto government -- they must get it. This is not amateurs' time," he said.

"They cannot afford to really make so many mistakes because once they lose their credibility, it's very difficult to repair."

Mahmoud Shammam, minister of information for the National Transitional Council, acknowledged that the situation over the reported capture of Saif Gadhafi was confusing.

"We admit our communications was not clear," he told CNN, saying it had been representatives in Benghazi who stated Saif was under arrest, rather than the prime minister.

The rebels did not know if Saif al-Islam Gadhafi had been arrested and escaped, he said, so they would have to confirm what happened with the leaders engaged in the fighting in Tripoli.

But, he said, confusion like this occurred in conflict situations, adding that the rebel forces were entering a big city with many different centers of operation.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi spotted in Tripoli

Gadhafi's army 'not human beings'

How soon can Libya export oil?

Pockets of Gadhafi loyalists remain

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the rebels had the confidence of the American government despite the conflicting information over Monday's arrests.

"We have definitely found them to be credible and reliable interlocutors," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer from Rome, saying the United States had been in close contact with the leadership in Benghazi, the rebels' eastern base.

Washington joined Britain and other Western powers in recognizing the NTC last month as the legitimate governing authority in Libya, adding to the pressure on Moammar Gadhafi to relinquish power to the rebels.

"Clearly in a situation as fluid as this that is evolving rapidly, there's going to be confusion, there's going to be misinformation, and those that are on the ground in Tripoli may or may not be in full and timely communication with the leadership outside of Tripoli," Rice said.

"Generally speaking, we've found in all of our engagements with the (NTC) that their leadership is reliable, principled and is working to do the right things."

Saad Djebbar, a lawyer who negotiated the release in Scotland two years ago of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of blowing up a Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie, echoed the view that it was unfair to judge the rebels as unreliable on the basis of miscommunications on the ground in Tripoli.

"We have to focus on the bigger picture now and see what the council does next," he told CNN.

Djebbar believes the NTC should focus on getting food and medical supplies to the people in areas of Libya no longer under Gadhafi's control, in order to demonstrate that life will be better under a new government.

And in order to reassure their allies in the West, the NTC must ensure law and order are established in the areas liberated from Gadhafi's forces, he said. Police and security forces should be retrained so they understand they exist to serve the people rather than the regime, he added.

The specter of Iraq's descent into violence and sectarian strife after the fall of Saddam Hussein hang over Libya -- and Djebbar sees the international community as having a key role to play in ensuring history is not repeated.

"The United States, United Kingdom, France and others should work now with practical steps to make sure that Libyans feel that their country has become a better place," he said. "This is not Iraq."

The credibility of a new government will rely on its swift formation and the inclusion of respected members of different communities, tribes, professions and religious groups, he said, to act as "trustees of the revolution and its values."

Omar Ashour, director of Middle East Studies for the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, said the rebels were trying to learn from their mistakes -- and the misfortunes of other countries such as Iraq -- in order to keep the trust of their international partners.

Speaking from Cairo, on his way to Tripoli, Ashour told CNN he believed the critical issue was one of transparency, so that the rebels could avoid the kind of damaging conflicting accounts that emerged over the death of Younis.

And however the NTC does, he believes the resulting government will be better than the corrupt regime headed by Gadhafi over the past four decades.

"It's a huge task but to be honest they are the best that we have in Libya at the moment," he said.

Gerges agrees that it would be wrong to judge the NTC too harshly for a handful of errors in its early days.

Not only is the movement less than a year old, he pointed out, but it is made up of many disparate ideological, social, regional and tribal groups that have yet to fully consolidate into institutions.

Gerges believes a functioning and inclusive government will develop given time, provided peace can be restored in Libya and that the TNC can translate its rhetoric into concrete policies.

"If I were to gamble, I would gamble on the rebels really rising to the occasion," he said.

CNN's Krsna Harilela contributed to this report.

FOLLOW THIS TOPIC

(CNN) -- Libya's rebel leaders claimed Monday they had captured three of Moammar Gadhafi's sons, including Saif al-Islam, who is wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court. But shortly afterwards, Saif appeared in public in Tripoli, where he spoke to reporters -- raising serious questions about the reliability of the rebels' account of events.

A day later it remains unclear whether Saif al-Islam was ever in rebel hands, while another Gadhafi son, Mohammed, reportedly escaped from rebel custody. It is also uncertain whether Saadi, the third son the rebels claimed to have captured, was in their custody either.

So how much does this dent the credibility of rebels? And can the Libyan people and the international community put their faith in the Transitional National Council (TNC) to lead the nation if the Gadhafi regime falls?

Observers say the reported arrest -- and prompt reappearance -- of Saif al-Islam are at the least an embarrassing distraction for the rebels as they seek to take control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Map: Tripoli hotspots

Gadhafi forces launch attack on airport

NATO: 'Final chapter' for Gadhafi

Tribes and Libya's future

Trying to 'avoid casualties' in Tripoli

The International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor told CNN Monday it had been talking to the rebels about transferring Saif al-Islam to its custody, by Tuesday was insisting it had never confirmed his capture, while Western diplomats faced questions over their wisdom in backing the rebel leadership.

Professor Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNN he did not believe the rebels had intended to mislead the wider world over the arrest of Saif al-Islam, seen as his father's heir apparent.

But, he said, the confusion was of great concern because it betrayed a lack of cohesion and competence in the Transitional National Council's leadership and exposed the group's structural weakness.

Rebel groups and militias were acting independently rather than as a unified military force, he said, and with that came a risk that the rebel assault would disintegrate into urban warfare and civil strife.

He said the rebel leadership needed to "up its game" and could not repeat the lack of openness shown when the rebel government's military commander, Gen Abdel Fattah Younis, died in murky circumstances in Benghazi last month.

"The lack of transparency raises serious questions. This is a de facto government -- they must get it. This is not amateurs' time," he said.

"They cannot afford to really make so many mistakes because once they lose their credibility, it's very difficult to repair."

Mahmoud Shammam, minister of information for the National Transitional Council, acknowledged that the situation over the reported capture of Saif Gadhafi was confusing.

"We admit our communications was not clear," he told CNN, saying it had been representatives in Benghazi who stated Saif was under arrest, rather than the prime minister.

The rebels did not know if Saif al-Islam Gadhafi had been arrested and escaped, he said, so they would have to confirm what happened with the leaders engaged in the fighting in Tripoli.

But, he said, confusion like this occurred in conflict situations, adding that the rebel forces were entering a big city with many different centers of operation.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi spotted in Tripoli

Gadhafi's army 'not human beings'

How soon can Libya export oil?

Pockets of Gadhafi loyalists remain

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the rebels had the confidence of the American government despite the conflicting information over Monday's arrests.

"We have definitely found them to be credible and reliable interlocutors," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer from Rome, saying the United States had been in close contact with the leadership in Benghazi, the rebels' eastern base.

Washington joined Britain and other Western powers in recognizing the NTC last month as the legitimate governing authority in Libya, adding to the pressure on Moammar Gadhafi to relinquish power to the rebels.

"Clearly in a situation as fluid as this that is evolving rapidly, there's going to be confusion, there's going to be misinformation, and those that are on the ground in Tripoli may or may not be in full and timely communication with the leadership outside of Tripoli," Rice said.

"Generally speaking, we've found in all of our engagements with the (NTC) that their leadership is reliable, principled and is working to do the right things."

Saad Djebbar, a lawyer who negotiated the release in Scotland two years ago of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of blowing up a Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie, echoed the view that it was unfair to judge the rebels as unreliable on the basis of miscommunications on the ground in Tripoli.

"We have to focus on the bigger picture now and see what the council does next," he told CNN.

Djebbar believes the NTC should focus on getting food and medical supplies to the people in areas of Libya no longer under Gadhafi's control, in order to demonstrate that life will be better under a new government.

And in order to reassure their allies in the West, the NTC must ensure law and order are established in the areas liberated from Gadhafi's forces, he said. Police and security forces should be retrained so they understand they exist to serve the people rather than the regime, he added.

The specter of Iraq's descent into violence and sectarian strife after the fall of Saddam Hussein hang over Libya -- and Djebbar sees the international community as having a key role to play in ensuring history is not repeated.

"The United States, United Kingdom, France and others should work now with practical steps to make sure that Libyans feel that their country has become a better place," he said. "This is not Iraq."

The credibility of a new government will rely on its swift formation and the inclusion of respected members of different communities, tribes, professions and religious groups, he said, to act as "trustees of the revolution and its values."

Omar Ashour, director of Middle East Studies for the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, said the rebels were trying to learn from their mistakes -- and the misfortunes of other countries such as Iraq -- in order to keep the trust of their international partners.

Speaking from Cairo, on his way to Tripoli, Ashour told CNN he believed the critical issue was one of transparency, so that the rebels could avoid the kind of damaging conflicting accounts that emerged over the death of Younis.

And however the NTC does, he believes the resulting government will be better than the corrupt regime headed by Gadhafi over the past four decades.

"It's a huge task but to be honest they are the best that we have in Libya at the moment," he said.

Gerges agrees that it would be wrong to judge the NTC too harshly for a handful of errors in its early days.

Not only is the movement less than a year old, he pointed out, but it is made up of many disparate ideological, social, regional and tribal groups that have yet to fully consolidate into institutions.

Gerges believes a functioning and inclusive government will develop given time, provided peace can be restored in Libya and that the TNC can translate its rhetoric into concrete policies.

"If I were to gamble, I would gamble on the rebels really rising to the occasion," he said.

CNN's Krsna Harilela contributed to this report.

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New York drops assault case against DSK

Paris (CNN) -- When the news first broke in May that former French finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been accused of raping a hotel maid in New York, shocked French politicians immediately suspected a trap.

Conspiracy theories abounded, with some saying that opposing political parties had orchestrated the whole affair to preemptively bring down the front-runner for the French presidency.

"There's a general feeling of a media, a judicial fury -- of a lynching," Jack Lang, France's former minister of culture and education and a Socialist Party lawmaker, told Europe 1 radio May 17.

Tuesday, a judge in Manhattan dismissed the case against Strauss-Kahn, after the prosecutor's office said it could not believe Nafissatou Diallo's claims beyond a reasonable doubt due to lies she had told prosecutors and authorities.

"Since the first day, I had a personal intuition that (Strauss-Kahn) was the victim of a baseless legal pursuit," Lang said Tuesday. "I was very shocked at the way the presumption of innocence was trampled by certain people in the United States and in France."

Judge in DSK case dismisses all charges

The Strauss-Kahn case as it unfolded

Martine Aubry, who is now the Socialist party candidate for the presidential primaries -- a position Strauss-Kahn would have likely been in had it not been for his arrest -- said Tuesday she was "very happy" that the charges had been dropped.

"It's happiness, a relief," she told France Info. "We have all been waiting for him to finally get out of this nightmare."

But others were outraged.

"To refuse to try the case in which the former director of the (International Monetary Fund) is accused of rape is bad news for justice and bad news as well for women," said French parliament member Marie-George Buffet.

"The decision... poses great risks to women's rights, going back to the time when rape victims were presumed to be guilty, the time when rape wasn't considered a crime," she added in a statement Tuesday, according to Agence France Presse. "The truth has not been told, neither for the supposed innocent party, nor for the alleged victim."

Françoise Hostalier, a deputy of the Union for Popular Movement (UMP), called the decision to drop the case "surprising and very shocking."

She said the case "would have at least revealed the true face of the man who could have become a candidate for the French presidency."

"French politics are now rid of an individual unworthy of a democratic representation," Hostalier added.

Also angry at the news is Anne Mansouret, the mother of journalist Tristane Banon. Banon filed charges in France against Strauss-Kahn for attempted rape, after he was arrested and charged in New York.

Banon's attorney, David Koubbi, told the French program "20 Minutes" that his client is not dropping her case. "It's only just begun," he said.

"What we're witnessing now is a self-congratulation session by the friends of Strauss-Kahn, and I find that to be a filthy indecence," he said. He said Banon is "devastated at what has happened to (Nafissatou Diallo) because she believes her."

Some French people said that despite the outcome of the Strauss-Kahn case in the United States, the former IMF chief's political career has ended.

"I think that's pretty much over," Vincent Ramelli told CNN.

New York drops assault case against DSK

Paris (CNN) -- When the news first broke in May that former French finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been accused of raping a hotel maid in New York, shocked French politicians immediately suspected a trap.

Conspiracy theories abounded, with some saying that opposing political parties had orchestrated the whole affair to preemptively bring down the front-runner for the French presidency.

"There's a general feeling of a media, a judicial fury -- of a lynching," Jack Lang, France's former minister of culture and education and a Socialist Party lawmaker, told Europe 1 radio May 17.

Tuesday, a judge in Manhattan dismissed the case against Strauss-Kahn, after the prosecutor's office said it could not believe Nafissatou Diallo's claims beyond a reasonable doubt due to lies she had told prosecutors and authorities.

"Since the first day, I had a personal intuition that (Strauss-Kahn) was the victim of a baseless legal pursuit," Lang said Tuesday. "I was very shocked at the way the presumption of innocence was trampled by certain people in the United States and in France."

Judge in DSK case dismisses all charges

The Strauss-Kahn case as it unfolded

Martine Aubry, who is now the Socialist party candidate for the presidential primaries -- a position Strauss-Kahn would have likely been in had it not been for his arrest -- said Tuesday she was "very happy" that the charges had been dropped.

"It's happiness, a relief," she told France Info. "We have all been waiting for him to finally get out of this nightmare."

But others were outraged.

"To refuse to try the case in which the former director of the (International Monetary Fund) is accused of rape is bad news for justice and bad news as well for women," said French parliament member Marie-George Buffet.

"The decision... poses great risks to women's rights, going back to the time when rape victims were presumed to be guilty, the time when rape wasn't considered a crime," she added in a statement Tuesday, according to Agence France Presse. "The truth has not been told, neither for the supposed innocent party, nor for the alleged victim."

Françoise Hostalier, a deputy of the Union for Popular Movement (UMP), called the decision to drop the case "surprising and very shocking."

She said the case "would have at least revealed the true face of the man who could have become a candidate for the French presidency."

"French politics are now rid of an individual unworthy of a democratic representation," Hostalier added.

Also angry at the news is Anne Mansouret, the mother of journalist Tristane Banon. Banon filed charges in France against Strauss-Kahn for attempted rape, after he was arrested and charged in New York.

Banon's attorney, David Koubbi, told the French program "20 Minutes" that his client is not dropping her case. "It's only just begun," he said.

"What we're witnessing now is a self-congratulation session by the friends of Strauss-Kahn, and I find that to be a filthy indecence," he said. He said Banon is "devastated at what has happened to (Nafissatou Diallo) because she believes her."

Some French people said that despite the outcome of the Strauss-Kahn case in the United States, the former IMF chief's political career has ended.

"I think that's pretty much over," Vincent Ramelli told CNN.