1 May 2011

Libyan leader's ceasefire offer rejected

8:31 am on 1 May 2011

NATO and Libyan rebels have dismissed the offer by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi of a ceasefire and negotiations.

Colonel Gaddafi said on Saturday he was ready for a ceasefire and negotiations provided NATO stop air strikes but he refused to give up power as rebels and Western powers demand.

The rebels and the NATO military alliance rejected the offer, saying it lacked credibility.

The rebels' transitional national council said the Libyan leader had repeatedly offered ceasefires only to continue violating human rights.

A spokesman for the insurgents said the time for compromise had passed and NATO said air strikes would go on as long as Libyan civilians were being threatened.

On Saturday, NATO warplanes hit three targets close to the television building in Tripoli in what state media said was an attempt to kill Colonel Gaddafi.

The air strikes left a large crater outside the attorney general's office but did not damage the building, and hit two other government offices housed in colonial-era buildings. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.