Gaddafi must go: Rebels NATO chief for ‘credible' truce BENGHAZI: An African bid to halt Libya's civil war collapsed within hours Monday after Muammar Gaddafi's forces shelled a besieged city and rebels said there could be no deal unless he was toppled. The rebel rejection came less than 24 hours after South African President Jacob Zuma, head of an African Union mission, said Gaddafi had accepted the plan, including a ceasefire proposal for the conflict in this North African desert state. As African presidents negotiated with the rebel leadership in their stronghold of Benghazi, insurgents said Gaddafi's forces had bombarded the western city of Misrata. Rebels there scorned reports Gaddafi had accepted a ceasefire, saying they were fighting intense house-to-house battles with his forces, who fired rockets into the city. Western leaders also rejected any deal that did not include Gaddafi's removal, and NATO refused to suspend its bombing of his forces unless there was a credible ceasefire. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a Brussels news briefing that Gaddafi's government had announced ceasefires in the past, but “they did not keep their promises”. Rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil told a news conference after the talks in Benghazi: “The African Union initiative does not include the departure of Gaddafi and his sons from the Libyan political scene, therefore it is outdated.” He said any future proposal that does “not include this, we cannot accept. Earlier, Al-Jazeera television quoted a rebel spokesman as saying five people died and 20 were wounded in Misrata. Seif bats for father Gaddafi's son Seif Al-Islam said it was time for “new blood” in his country's leadership but said talk of his father stepping down was “ridiculous”. “The Libyan Guide does not want to control everything. He is at an advanced age. We would like to bring a new elite of young people to lead the country,” Seif told French network BFM.
