Libyan rebels launch dual offensive

Col Muammar Gaddafi 'offers to give up power in Libya'

Col Muammar Gaddafi has offered to give up power for the first time, but only if his hated son is allowed to stand as his successor, a Russian official claimed on Tuesday.

There is growing speculation that Col Gaddafi is seeking to make a face-saving exit amid growing fears that shortages and poverty in the Libyan capital Tripoli are making his position untenable Photo: REUTERS

Western powers are seriously considering the proposal, which would include a guarantee of amnesty from prosecution for the Libyan leader, a senior official in the Russian leadership was reported as saying.

“The colonel has sent signals that he is ready to relinquish power in exchange for security guarantees and such guarantees are on the table,” the official told Russia’s respected Kommersant newspaper.

The purported offer comes amid speculation that Col Gaddafi is seeking to make a face-saving exit amid growing fears that shortages and poverty in the Libyan capital Tripoli were making his position untenable.

The official claimed that France supported the idea and had agreed to work both to lift an International Criminal Court indictment against Col Gaddafi and to unfreeze his family’s international assets.

But the offer was denied in Tripoli, with a senior regime official calling the report “simply untrue” and insisting that Col Gaddafi’s future was “not negotiable”. However, the Libyan government says it is engaged in talks with the rebels, a claim denied both by the opposition in Benghazi and by European officials.Read more...