Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
France says Libya political solution taking shape
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Slideshow
Video
Full Focus
Editor's choice
A selection of our top photos from the past 24 hours. Full Article
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
News Corp may be at risk for U.S. probe over bribery
4:31am EDT
WRAPUP 9-Obama, lawmakers fall short on US debt deal
11 Jul 2011
Euro shaken by debt crisis; dollar benefits
11 Jul 2011
Exclusive: Apple chief patent lawyer to leave
6:41am EDT
Wall Street shares down, led by Nasdaq
10:04am EDT
Discussed
112
Obama, lawmakers meet for 75 minutes on debt impasse
80
WRAPUP 1-Taxes still a stumbling block in U.S. debt talks
64
Obama faces new obstacles in high-stakes debt talks
Watched
A Tokyo-Paris flight in under three hours on the horizon
Fri, Jun 24 2011
War of words heat up U.S. debt fears
2:52am EDT
Obama challenges Republicans on debt talks
Mon, Jul 11 2011
France says Libya political solution taking shape
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Some NATO allies in Libya exhausted in 90 days: U.S.
6:02am EDT
Libya's ragtag rebels discover discipline in battle
6:02am EDT
Libya rebels boost firepower with homemade weapons
6:02am EDT
Fighting Gaddafi a family affair in Libya's Misrata
6:02am EDT
Libya's wealthy use cash to take fight to Gaddafi
6:02am EDT
Berber culture reborn in Libya revolt
6:02am EDT
Al Qaeda smuggling weapons out of Libya: Italian minister
8:04am EDT
Analysis & Opinion
America’s problematic remote control wars
Sorting through Gaddafi’s knick-knacks…
Related Topics
World »
France »
Libya »
Related Video
Rebels continue hardline stance
Mon, Jul 11 2011
1 / 6
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi meeting visiting president of the World Chess Federation Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (not pictured) before a game of chess in Tripoli, June 12, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/FIDE Press service
By Lamine Chikhi
TRIPOLI |
Tue Jul 12, 2011 11:54am EDT
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Emissaries from Libya's Muammar Gaddafi have been in contact with NATO members to say he is ready to leave power, France's government said on Tuesday, the latest sign of a possible negotiated end to the crisis.
"A political solution is more than ever indispensable and is beginning to take shape," French Prime Minister Francois Fillon told a parliamentary commission which is expected to vote later on whether to extend France's military operations in Libya.
NATO powers have until now been focused firmly on airstrikes and backing the rebels trying to overthrow Gaddafi, but five months into the insurrection and with no sign of a breakthrough, attention is switching to a political solution.
Earlier, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe had said emissaries from Gaddafi's government were in contact with several NATO members, though he said there were no fully-fledged negotiations yet.
"Emissaries are telling us Gaddafi is ready to go, let's talk about it," Juppe said, adding the emissaries said they were coming in the name of Gaddafi.
"The question is no longer about whether Gaddafi goes but when and how," Juppe said.
"Everybody is in contact with everybody. The Libyan regime is sending messengers everywhere, to Turkey, New York, Paris," Juppe said on France Info state radio. "There are contacts but it's not a negotiation proper at this stage."
How reliable the information from the emissaries is remains unclear. Many observers warn of the need to be cautious about taking everything emanating from the Libyan government at face value because previous peace offers have come to nothing.
Sources say the envoys are close aides to Gaddafi who are in contact with intermediaries who report directly to Sarkozy.
It was not obvious how Gaddafi, who has refused to even contemplate relinquishing power, could be persuaded to change his mind through negotiations.
Some analysts say Gaddafi will only step down if he is left with no other options, but appeals for negotiations could be seen in Tripoli as a sign the West's resolve is weakening, and encourage Gaddafi to hold on longer.
Karim Bitar, a Middle East expert at Paris-based think tank IRIS, said negotiations between the rebels and the Gaddafi camp were likely to be extremely complicated.
"It's not a country where power is easily shared. There are 6 million people, a few powerful tribes and oil reserves almost all in just one area, so it won't be easy to find a sort of an agreement where Gaddafi is on the sidelines and cedes power."
In an interview with French daily Le Figaro on Tuesday the Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi said Tripoli was ready to "negotiate without conditions" but the bombing must stop first. "You don't create democracy under bombs," he said.
Asked if Gaddafi could be excluded from a political solution, Mahmoudi suggested he could stand aside. "(He) will not intervene in discussions," he said. "He is ready to respect the decision of the people."
France spearheaded the West's military intervention in Libya but is growing impatient with its lack of. President Nicolas Sarkozy took a gamble by taking a personal role in supporting the opposition rebels, but is now anxious to avoid costly military operations running into the start of campaigning for the April 2012 presidential election.
Libya's rebels are still focused on forcing Gaddafi from power. A senior official with the rebel council said he believed the Libyan leader would be gone by the start of August, and he predicted a military breakthrough against Gaddafi's forces within the next 48 hours.
Western officials talking about a possible deal are making references to a plan drawn up by the African Union. That plan allows for a ceasefire, access for humanitarian aid and the launch of a dialogue about Libya's future.
After a summit earlier this month, African Union leaders said Gaddafi's administration had agreed he would not take part in the negotiating process, but it was not clear if that also meant there would be no future role for him.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who is visiting Libya's neighbor Algeria on Tuesday, added his voice to the calls for a negotiated deal.
"We stress the need for a ceasefire and dialogue in Libya with the exclusion of Gaddafi and his family, who must leave power," Frattini told a news conference in Algiers.
Frattini said the chaos inside Libya was being exploited by Islamist extremists based in the Sahara desert to acquire weapons, becoming the first senior Western official to acknowledge that publicly.
Countries in the region and elsewhere are already worried a prolonged war will boost al Qaeda's north African branch, and supporters of a swift peace deal for Libya are likely to use that argument to support their case.
"GOOD NEWS"
Thousands of Libyans, inspired by revolutions in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, rose up against Gaddafi's rule in February. That prompted a crackdown by his security forces in which, rights groups say, thousands of people were killed.
The Western bombing campaign began a month later under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians. Gaddafi holds on to power despite the air strikes, sanctions, and the defection of members of his government and military.
Ali Tarhouni, the oil chief with the rebel National Transitional Council, traveled from the council's base in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday to the Western Mountains, a patch of land south of Tripoli also held by the rebels.
"I am hoping you will hear very good news in the next 24 to 48 hours on all fronts: military, economic, all fronts," Tarhouni told Reuters in the town of Zintan.
Asked if he had in mind a military breakthrough in the Western Mountains, he said: "Yes, yes, a breakthrough."
"How long has he (Gaddafi) got? I would think by the end of Ramadan," Tahouni said. Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, begins at the start of August.
Tarhouni said he had come to the region to bring financial help for the rebels there, to help with fuel shortages, and to appeal to Western countries to send food aid.
Gaddafi says the rebels are armed criminals and al Qaeda militants. He has called the NATO operation an act of colonial aggression aimed at stealing Libyan oil.
Rebel advances toward the capital -- which some in the West had thought could trigger the collapse of Gaddafi's rule -- have made slow and costly progress.
Strains over Libya are expected to surface on Friday when the contact group, which brings together the countries allied against Gaddafi, meets in Istanbul.
(Additional reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers, Peter Graff in Zintan, Nick Carey in Misrata, and Brian Love, Alexandria Sage and Vicky Buffery in Paris; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Matthew Jones)
World
France
Libya
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Social Stream (What's this?)
© Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service
Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 FBI says unsuspecting commuters carry drugs over Mexican border
UK'S ex-PM Brown says he is a suspected phone hacking victim
|
Gas prices changin driving, spending habits of most Americans
Race is on for regional, senior bowlers to qualify for Dick Weber PBA Playoffs
Ex-media tycoon Black to return to jail on September 6
|
Rebecca Black to release official follow-up to 'Friday'
50 dead in Russian cruise ship sinking
Russian space debris being monitored after Atlantis docks with ISS
On-stage fire cuts short Rihanna concert
French police interview Strauss-Kahn accuser Banon
|
After much scrutiny, HHS releases health insurance exchange rules
'Acute social marginalization' of Dom community
Israel passes law punishing settlement boycotters
|
NHL, NBC announce cooperative media sales deal
Uganda to check Museveni birthday cake for poison
|
Apple files fresh patent complaint against HTC
|
Target to sell new electronic reader
|
RIM annual meeting likely to exacerbate investor ire
|
Courts approve Nortel patent sale to Apple/RIM group
|
Tainted electronics pose security threat: U.S. rep
|
Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to host CMA Awards
|
Brother of Afghan president killed: official
|
Russia says 128 likely dead in Volga river accident
|
Gunmen abduct two Americans in southern Philippines
|
Suspected U.S. missile strikes kill 30 militants in Pakistan
|
Egypt protesters reject PM offer of cabinet reshuffle
|
Federal Reserve to retain record-low interest rate
Chinese court jails six for role in Guangdong riot
|
HOLD: Somalias pirates : Another ill-fated youngsters
NL's Roy Halladay-AL's Jered Weaver take hill for All-Star Game
The IHeartRadio Music Festival announced
WikiLeaks' Assange in UK court extradition appeal
|
Ex-PM Brown claims reporters from Sunday Times, The Sun and others illegally obtained personal information
France's Sarkozy says 1,000 troops to leave Afghanistan
|
Coheed and Cambria bass player arrested
No-hio State: standout offensive tackle switches to Michigan
Blacklisted group says Pakistan needs peace, prosperity
|
Exclusive: Key Apple patent lawyer to leave, source says
|
Sprint subpoenaed by 9 states over AT&T's T-Mobile bid
|
Retailers, cash rich, to spend on IT: report
|
HTC down after Apple's new patent lawsuit
|
Toshiba wants to be top maker of flash memory soon: president
|
Arnold Schwarzenegger back in Hollywood saddle, despite scandal
|
Rock musician uses cell phone stickup note in robbery
|
Appeals court orders Administration to confirm stance on DADT
France says Libya political solution taking shape
|
U.S. and France step up pressure on Syria's Assad
|
Somalias pirates: Ransom cash 'Easy come easy go'
Sudan, South Sudan plan new currencies after split
|
Too soon to blame climate change for drought
Turkana reels from severe drought
"Jersey Shore" star Vinny Guadagnino returns to show
Afghan President Karzais half-brother assassinated
Greek reporters accuse minister on police violence
|
Post Hines Ward arrest: Steelers-Ravens rivalry heats up on Twitter
Black Eyed Peas announce they're taking a break
Runoff in California for contentious House race
U.N. says struggling with growing Somali exodus
|
Refugee: "I'm doomed to life at way station"
WikiLeaks' Assange in UK court extradition appeal
|
Analysis: Doubt creeps in to tech valuations at Sun Valley
|
Cisco could eliminate as many as 10,000 jobs: report
|
Split Research In Motion in two, RBC analyst urges
|
China says piracy problem not extremely serious
|
Amazon seeks ballot measure to undo California tax
|
EU court says eBay should protect trademarks better
|
Sting and orchestra bring magic to Montreux jazz fest
|
Argentine singer Cabral killed by gangs: Guatemala
|
Rock musician uses cell phone stickup note in robbery
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights