Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has defended NATO's mission in Libya after reports an air strike killed several members of leader Muammar Gaddafi's family.
The Libyan leader's second-youngest son and three of his grandchildren were reportedly killed in a NATO air strike on the weekend.
Mr Rudd said he could not confirm the report, but defended NATO air raids on the African nation, saying targets had been consistent with the United Nations' security mandate.
"It's important that NATO is able to target the command and control structures of the Libyan regime's armed forces," the foreign minister told ABC TV from Washington.
Mr Rudd will attend the Libya Contact Group meeting in Rome on Thursday for talks on ongoing implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions.
The contact group, which comprises western countries, Turkey, Arab states, the United Nations, the Arab League and NATO, was set up in London in late March.
