An aide to Mahmoud Gebril ElWarfally, prime minister of Libya's interim opposition government, the Transitional National Council, told Bloomberg Telelevision that Saif al-Islam Gadhafi had approached the rebels in an attempt to negotiate an exit for his father.
"Of course, he is trying to put some terms. We understand those terms and we know how to play the negotiations," Mohamed Al Akari told Bloomberg Television today in Abu Dhabi, where foreign ministers from the 22-nation Libya Contact Group met. "We are talking now of the last stage of this operation."
Qaddafi won't be allowed to remain in Libya even though he is "dreaming of staying in the country," Al Akari said. South Africa and Senegal are among the countries that might offer him a safe haven, he added. Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Qaddafi had sent out many "feelers" to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Keep in mind that reports that Gadhafi is trying to negotiate a deal have been around from as early as March.
Meanwhile, NATO continued to bomb Tripoli today. CBS news reports:
The intensity of the attacks suggested a return to the heavy NATO bombardment of the city that on Tuesday hit military installations across the capital and flattened major buildings in leader Muammar Qaddafi's sprawling compound in the center of the city. Government officials did not say what had been targeted in the Thursday bombing runs.
There were eight explosions in a first series of strikes on Thursday. Hours later, the sound of six more attacks boomed in the distance.
(Note that NPR follows AP style for the spelling of Gadhafi; other news organizations use alternate spellings.)
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