Minister Radosław Sikorski said that the EU recognised the interim rebel council as a “legitimate interlocutor”. This visit was agreed with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. According to Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Libyan Interim Transitional National Council is "recognized by the European Union and a vast majority of the international community as the right partner for political contacts in Libya." On 22 May, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton opened the EU Office in Benghazi and met with the chairman of the transitional National Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil. : The GCC has issued a statement that Gaddafi and his regime has lost legitimacy and that the GCC will form a relationship with the National Transitional Council. International Monetary Fund: At the weekly IMF news conference on 26 August 2011, Spokesman David Hawley informed reporters that the Fund is monitoring the situation in Libya and that "When there is a clear, broad-based international recognition of a new government in Libya, it's at that point that the Fund could or would move toward recognition... The nature of our engagement going forward will depend on the wishes of any internationally recognised government in the country. So to underline, we're following events". Christine Lagarde said on 10 September that the "IMF membership recognized the National Transition Council as the new government of Libya." : On 22 June 2011 OIC sent a delegation to Benghazi and Tripoli to hold consultations with fighting sides. On 13 July OIC sent another delegation "to hold talks with the National Transitional Council in Benghazi." On 25 August IOC delegation took part in the fifth meeting of Libya Contact Group, where "participants ... agreed to deal with the National Transitional Council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya". In a speech on 3 September, Secretary General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu said the OIC recognised the NTC "as the only legitimate authority in Libya". Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries: On 6 September Dow Jones Newswires appeared an article reporting that OPEC members are waiting on United Nations resolution to recognise NTC as legitimate government, which they did at 19 September. : A press release issued by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 26 August 2011 made references to the "new Libyan authorities" and stated that $1.5 billion in Gaddafi regime assets will be released to "the authorities Transitional National Council (TNC)". Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro also made references to "the new leadership". A