The international contact group on Libya has agreed to set up a temporary "trust fund" to help the international community channel assets to the opposition Transitional National Council in Benghazi.

In a statement issued at the conclusion of Wednesday's one-day summit in Doha, Qatar, the group united to call on Libya's longterm leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down.

"Gaddafi and his regime has lost all legitimacy and he must leave power allowing the Libyan people to determine their own future," the group said.

The financial mechanism being set up will allow international donations to be made - possibly from frozen assets of the Gaddafi administration - and made directly available to Gaddafi's opponents. 

The group warned that up to 3.6 million people in Libya could require humanitarian assistance as the result of weeks of fighting in the country.

Members of the group on Libya have called for more pressure to be exerted against Gaddafi's regime, but they disagree on whether to arm the rebels seeking to eject him.

But Al Jazeera correspondent James Bays said some participants had "deep concerns" about providing Libyan rebels, who are fighting to topple Gaddafi from power, with access to funds.