Sirte, Libya (ANTARA News/AFP) - Forces of Libya`s new regime were on the verge of claiming full control of Moamer Kadhafi`s hometown Sirte after seizing its showpiece conference centre and university from his diehards on Sunday.

The fortress-like Ouagadougou conference centre, constructed to host pan-African summits, has been a major objective of the National Transitional Council forces since they launched a September 15 offensive on the city.

"We control 100 percent of the Ouagadougou centre," said Mohammed al-Fayad, an NTC military chief, adding the capture "opens the way" for his forces to overrun the city centre.

An AFP correspondent on the spot confirmed the NTC fighters were in control of the landmark complex.

"We are ready to take the centre" of Sirte "within a matter of hours," said Fayad.

"It is only a question of coordination between (Misrata fighters on) the western front and (Benghazi fighters on) the eastern front. We just need time."

A day after taking a four-lane avenue into the centre, the NTC forces also took control of Sirte`s university and its new campus, a huge site where Kadhafi snipers had been picking them off from unfinished buildings. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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