Libyan government, rebels set conditions for ceasefire

Libya’s government and rebel leaders have set unacceptable conditions to declaring a cease-fire, complicating efforts to formulate peace proposals, the United Nations special envoy for the conflict said, BBC reported.

“Both Libyan authorities and the Transitional National Council have informed me they were ready and willing to implement a cease-fire provided the other party does the same,” Abdul Ilah al-Khatib told the UN Security Council in New York. “The main difficulty is getting both sides to agree on the essential elements of a political process.”

Libyan government leaders “told me that if NATO attacks stop they would be in a position to hold discussions on elections, democracy and constitutional reforms,” al-Khatib said.

“The TNC, on the other hand, said that a cease-fire is not sufficient to end the conflict if it is not directly linked to the departure of Colonel Qaddafi and his family,” he said.