NATO will not put boots on the ground and will only play a "supportive" role upon request in post-Gaddafi Libya, the military alliance's spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Tuesday.

"The leading role in the post-Gaddafi period in supporting the Libyan people rests with the United Nations and the Contact Group. NATO will be in a supporting role....NATO will have no troops on the ground," Oana told a press briefing at NATO headquarters.

NATO ambassadors are scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon to discuss NATO's possible role following the complete collapse of the Gaddafi regime.

The spokeswoman said any NATO's future role in Libya would "have to be upon request".