Secret talks

The US State Department has admitted that US and Libyan government officials met for secret talks in Tunisia on Saturday to deliver the message that Colonel Moammar Gadhafi must quit.

According to a State Department spokesman, “This was not a negotiation. We have no plans to meet again, because the message has been delivered."

The meeting came one day after the United States and other Western and regional powers recognised the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya's legitimate authority.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not comment on the meeting but said the UN is playing a central role in presenting terms for Gadhafi to relinquish power.

Libyan regime rejects conditions to peace talks

At a meeting in Istanbul last week the international Libya Contact group agreed on a road map for Libya and said Gadhafi should quit and pave the way for the country’s transition to democracy.

Libyan regime spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said that Libya welcomed discussions but only without preconditions and that Libyans alone should decide their future.

"We will discuss everything, but do not condition your peace talks,” said Ibrahim.

Russia optimistic about Libya’s future

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, on a visit to Germany, said it was unwise to support one side only. Moscow has also called for Gadhafi to quit, but criticizes Western states for taking sides and recognizing the NTC as Libyas' legitimate government.

"We will continue the search for a compromise. In my view it is achievable," said Medvedev.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to meet his Libyan counterpart Abdelati al-Obeidi in Moscow on Wednesday. The meeting, according to the Itar-Tass news agency, comes at the request of the Libyans. This would be the first trip by a Libyan official to Moscow since the conflict in Libya began.

Author: Wilhelmina Lyffyt (Reuters, AFP)

Editor: Susan Houlton