(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Muammar Gaddafi could stay in Libya if he gives up power, France has said, signaling a new effort to find a diplomatic solution to a conflict that has so far failed to topple the Libyan leader.
French foreign minister Alain Juppe, speaking on France's LCI TV, said foreign powers were now ready to let Gaddafi stay in Libya if he stepped down.
"One of the scenarios effectively envisaged is that he stays in Libya on one condition which I repeat - that he very clearly steps aside from Libyan political life," Juppe said.
"A ceasefire depends on Gaddafi committing clearly and formally to surrender his military and civilian roles."
However, Gaddafi's foreign minister swiftly dismissed the French proposal, saying Gaddafi's departure after 41 years in power was not a matter for discussion.
France's proposal reflected an awareness that it would be hard, if not impossible, to flush Gaddafi out of Tripoli by force or persuasion. Opposition forces have struggled to maintain steady progress towards the capital Tripoli.
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