Kadhafi call for Libya talks rejected

TRIPOLI: Rebels and NATO dismissed on Saturday an offer by Moamer Kadhafi for talks to end Libya's conflict, as the defiant strongman's forces pressed an offensive against the key port city of Misrata.

And three loud explosions were heard Saturday evening from the direction of Bab al-Aziziya, the area where Kadhafi's compound is located, as NATO jets overflew the capital Tripoli.

In an early-morning speech on state television, the Libyan leader said NATO "must abandon all hope of his departure.

"I have no official functions to give up: I will not leave my country and will fight to the death," he said.

But he added a conciliatory note.

"We are ready to talk with France and the United States, but with no preconditions," Kadhafi said.

"We will not surrender, but I call on you to negotiate. If you want petrol, we will sign contracts with your companies -- it is not worth going to war over.

"Between Libyans, we can solve our problems without being attacked, so pull back your fleets and your planes," he told NATO.

Kadhafi said the rebels battling his forces "are terrorists who are not from Libya, but from Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Afghanistan."

His call was dismissed by the opposition Transitional National Council, which has shaped itself into a parallel government in the eastern city of Benghazi, and by NATO.

"The time for compromise has passed," said TNC vice chairman Abdul Hafiz Ghoga.

"The people of Libya cannot possibly envisage or accept a future Libya in which Kadhafi's regime plays any role," he added.

In Brussels, a NATO official also rejected talks. (AFP)