Official says talks persist to end Libyan hostilities

TRIPOLI, Libya – A senior Libyan official said Monday that progress has been made in talks with rebels on ending more than four months of fighting, but a top rebel leader denied that any negotiations are taking place.

The rebel leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, also distanced himself from earlier comments attributed to him that Libya’s opposition might consider allowing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to stay in the country as part of a transition deal, provided he resigns and orders a cease-fire.

“The Libyans do not want Gadhafi to stay even if he’s dead … after what he’s done while in power and during the revolt against him,” Abdul-Jalil said Monday.

In the Gadhafi-controlled capital of Tripoli, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told reporters that talks with various rebel officials have been going on for two months.

He said the negotiations have included some members of a transitional council based in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, though he acknowledged that “of course there are elements within the rebellion who are not in favor in talks.”

The aim of the discussions, taking place outside Libya and over the phone, is to halt hostilities and set a framework for further dialogue, he said.

Asked if progress has been made, he said: “In some areas, yes, of course.”

Kaim alleged that some members of the NATO-led coalition conducting daily airstrikes in Libya have complicated efforts because they don’t support negotiations. Talks are also being hindered because the rebels do not speak with one voice, he said.

Two weeks ago, Gadhafi’s prime minister, al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, said the Libyan government had held a number of “preliminary meetings” with officials based in Benghazi. He said at the time that talks are taking place abroad, including in Egypt, Tunisia and Norway, but did not provide specifics.

However, Abdul-Jalil said that “there are no talks under way with Gadhafi’s loyalists, direct or indirect.”

Several bomb blasts shook the capital Monday afternoon as coalition warplanes roared overhead.

In an interview, a Libyan army captain said NATO’s airstrikes are preventing Gadhafi’s forces from operating “in a normal coordinated way,” forcing them to keep missions secret and work like the rebels in small groups using pickup trucks to avoid detection by NATO planes.