Libya's top oil official has become the latest leading figure to desert Muammar Gaddafi.
Adding political momentum to a revolt against the leader's long rule, Shokri Ghanem said he left his job because of the 'unbearable' violence in Libya.
The defection by National Oil Corp head Shokri Ghanem came two days after the defections of eight army officers, including five generals, and those in earlier weeks of senior diplomats and former ministers.
'I left the country and decided also to leave my job and to join the choice of Libyan youth to create a modern constitutional state respecting human rights and building a better future for all Libyans,' he said.
Mr Ghanem, who is also a former prime minister, was speaking at a news conference in Rome organised by the Libyan ambassador, who has also defected.
'I have been working in Libya for so many years believing that we can make a lot of reform from within. Unfortunately this became not possible, especially now, when we see the spilling of blood every day in Libya, our best youth and our best men getting killed.'
Mr Ghanem, who is one of the most senior Libyan officials to have defected, said he still saw some possibility of a peaceful settlement to decide the fate of Gaddafi's 41-year-old rule.
However, he added that the last time he saw Gaddafi was 'months ago'.
Mr Ghanem, whose whereabouts had been unknown for several days, also said oil production in Libya is coming to a halt because of the international embargo.
Now in its fourth month, the Libyan conflict is deadlocked.
The rebels are unable to break out of their strongholds and advance towards Tripoli, where Gaddafi appears to be firmly entrenched.
Rebels control the east of Libya around the city of Benghazi, the third-biggest city Misrata, and a mountain range stretching from the town of Zintan, 150km south of Tripoli, towards the border with Tunisia.
NATO today said it had extended its Libyan mission for a further 90 days, after Gaddafi made it clear he would not step down, dashing hopes of a negotiated end to the fighting.
Meanwhile, in rebel-held eastern Libya, an explosion damaged two cars outside Benghazi's Tibesti hotel.
The building has been used in the past for news conferences by the rebels seeking to topple Gaddafi, Arab television stations reported.
There was no immediate word of what caused the blast, or of any injuries.
Earlier, A Maltese patrol boat rescued 76 Libyan migrants from a boat in distress 120km southeast of the island.
