Libya’s strongman Gaddafi sets terms for relinquishing power

Libya’s strongman Muammar Gaddafi is ready to relinquish power on condition that he and his family are given guarantees of immunity from prosecution, the Arab newspaper Al Sharq Al Awsat reported on Sunday.

Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam is heading a working group of the Libyan government’s officials who are trying to find a solution to the Libya crisis that envisages his father’s dignified exit from power, the paper said, referring to a source close to the Libyan leader.

In their public statements, Gaddafi and his associates have numerously rejected the idea of the Libyan leader’s resignation. However, there are unofficial channels of communication, through which these issues are being discussed, the paper said.

Gaddafi is interested in quitting power in a dignified manner, which implies that neither he nor his family must be prosecuted. He is also seeking immunity from international persecution, the paper said.

Inside Gaddafi’s family and his inner circle, however, there is no agreement on this issue. Some say that Gaddafi must continue fighting to the bitter end while others believe that time has come for Gaddafi to quit, the paper said.

CAIRO, May 29 (RIA Novosti) 

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