By IANS,
Paris : Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who is facing international pressure to quit power, is ready to talk “even with the devil” but reports about his stepping down are “ridiculous”, his son Saif al-Islam has said.
It was time to inject “new blood” into the country’s leadership as Gaddafi is too old to control everything, but “the talk of leaving power, that’s truly ridiculous”, Xinhua quoted Saif as telling French TV network BFM.
“We are ready to discuss even with the devil, but even the devil should know that there are red lines,” Saif said, referring to attempts to force his father to resign.
Commenting on the international intervention in Libya, Saif spoke about France’s loss in the war, both economically and politically, and criticised Qatar’s agreement with Libya’s opposition based in Benghazi.
An African Union delegation arrived in Benghazi Monday for a ceasefire plan after Gaddafi reportedly accepted a deal to bring to an end the political standoff.
But rebels still demanded Gaddafi’s stepping down.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has said Gaddafi and his family should have no role in Libya’s future.
He called on diplomats to increase pressure on Gaddafi, and said his removal from power should take place in “weeks, not months”.
A US State Department spokesman also made it clear that Gaddafi’s departure from power was “non-negotiable”.
“We’ve said it’s our bottom line, it’s a non-negotiable demand,” Mark Toner said Monday. “We believe he needs to depart power, he needs to step down, he’s delegitimised as a leader.”