EU says planning underway for post-Gaddafi Libya

People wave flags of the Kingdom of Libya and hold a cartoon illustration of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi as they gather near the courthouse in Benghazi August 22, 2011 to celebrate the entry of rebel fighters into Tripoli.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is actively planning for a Libya without Muammar Gaddafi following the rapid advance of rebel forces over the weekend and urged the Libyan leader to leave "without further delay".

"We seem to be witnessing the last moments of the Gaddafi regime and we call on Gaddafi to step down without further delay and avoid further bloodshed," Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, said on Monday.

"We have post-Gadaffi planning going on ... we do have a number of scenarios that we have worked in terms of our assistance post-Gadaffi," he said.

The EU urged the rebels, who have been fighting to oust Gaddafi since nearly six months, to act responsibly and protect civilians as they push into the capital Tripoli.