TRIPOLI - Libyan leader Mouammar Gaddafi made his first public appearance in a week near Tripoli late Tuesday, vowing to fight on, while France and other West countries were busy creating a new body to take over the lead in the current intervention in Libya.

Libya's state TV showed that Gaddafi appeared on a balcony before a crowd of supporters at his residence compound near the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

The compound, located in Bab Al-Aziziya, was struck by a cruise missile in Sunday night's bombing by Western forces.

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The TV footage showed Gadhafi making a short live address to his supporters. "Be it long or short, we're ready for battle," he said.

Hours earlier, heavy explosions and intensive anti-aircraft fire resounded over Tripoli. The distant explosions, whose exact locations remained unknown, started at around 8:30 pm local time (1830 GMT), and shortly shells trailing orange flames were seen fired into the dark air.

The blasts appeared to be a new round of US and European-led military strikes hitting Tripoli after nightfall, following similar operations starting Saturday that aimed to create a no-fly zone over Libya.

But when Gaddafi maintained confident in grabbing the final victory in the confrontation, the Western forces seemed also determined in their aligned mission.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday that a new political body, not NATO, will take over the responsibility of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya.

The new body, to be set up as proposed by France, will consist of foreign ministers from countries that are currently participating in the military intervention in Libya, and some Arab states, he said, adding that it could meet soon in London or paris.

He said the military action will stop only as "the Tripoli regime act with accurate and complete compliance with resolutions of the UN Security Council, as it accepts an authentic cease-fire, and withdraws its troops from where they entered."

Also on Tuesday, the Elysee Palace said French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his US counterpart Barack Obama had agreed via phone on how to use the command structure of NATO to support the military operation in Libya.

"They agreed on the need to continue efforts to ensure the full implementation of 1970 and 1973 resolutions," Sarkozy's Office said in a statement, noting their satisfaction with the coordinated military operation in Libya, which, in their opinion, limited civilian casualties and reduced the power of Mouammar Gaddafi's force against Libyan people.

The statement came after French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has set reconnaissance operation in motion earlier in the day, with two Rafale jets sending back visual information of Libya.