Gaddafi's Sons Offer Power Transfer To Themselves, Rebels Flatly Reject
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But rebels have made it clear they have no interest in serving any more Gaddafis. The Telegraph reported:
"The Libyan rebels' Transitional National Council has rejected any transition under Gaddafi's sons after The New York Times reported that two of them had proposed that. Speaking in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi spokesman Shamseddin Abdulmelah said:
'This is completely rejected by the council. Gaddafi and his sons have to leave before any diplomatic negotiations can take place.'"
The Times piece gave some context:
"[T]he proposal offers a new window into the dynamics of the Qaddafi family at a time when the colonel, who has seven sons, is relying heavily on them. Stripped of one of his closest confidantes by the defection of Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa and isolated by decades of attempted coups and internal purges, he is leaning on his sons as trusted aides and military commanders.
The idea also touches on longstanding differences among his sons. While Seif and Saadi have leaned toward Western-style economic and political openings, Colonel Qaddafi’s sons Khamis and Mutuassim are considered hard-liners. Khamis leads a fearsome militia focused on repressing internal unrest."
Seif appeared to destroy all credibility he had with reformers when he delivered a rambling, finger-wagging performance on Libyan state TV in February that led many of his Western allies to abandon him.
Italy became the third country to recognize the opposition as the legitimate ruling power in Libya after Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini met with rebels in Rome Monday:
“'Any solution for the future of Libya has a precondition: that Qaddafi’s regime leaves… That Qaddafi himself and the family leave the country,' Frattini said.
Italy is the third nation to recognize the rebels, after France and Qatar, and did so on Monday as reorganized rebel units began a push to reclaim the oil town of Brega from loyalist forces."
While the U.S. continues to assist NATO in delivering airstrikes against Gaddafi's forces, who have turned to guerrilla warfare, the sons' plans have been dismissed by their enemies and foreign counterparts.
