France to extend Libya mission

France's lower house of parliament has voted to extend military operations in Libya, keeping French forces in a wider NATO effort to protect civilians and support a rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi.

The Tuesday vote saw the National Assembly voting overwhelmingly to grant further funding for the military operation nearly four months after French planes started bombing troops loyal to Gaddafi in eastern Libya.

A total of 482 deputies voted in favour and 27 against.

Near end to Libya crisis

Earlier, in what it called the latest sign of a possible negotiated end to the crisis in Libya, French government said that emissaries from Libya's Muammar Gaddafi have been in contact with NATO members to say he is ready to leave power.

"A political solution is more than ever indispensable and is beginning to take shape," French Prime Minister Francois Fillon told a parliamentary commission before it voted for the extension of France's military operations in Libya.

NATO powers have until now been focused firmly on airstrikes and backing the rebels trying to overthrow Gaddafi, but five months into the insurrection and with no sign of a breakthrough, attention is switching to a political solution.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe had said emissaries from Gaddafi's government were in contact with several NATO members, though he said there were no fully-fledged negotiations yet.
"Emissaries are telling us Gaddafi is ready to go, let's talk about it," Juppe said, adding the emissaries said they were coming in the name of Gaddafi.

"The question is no longer about whether Gaddafi goes but when and how," Juppe said.

"Everybody is in contact with everybody. The Libyan regime is sending messengers everywhere, to Turkey, New York, and Paris. There are contacts but it's not a negotiation proper at this stage," Juppe said on France Info state radio.

How reliable the information from the emissaries is remains unclear. Many observers warn of the need to be cautious about taking everything emanating from the Libyan government at face value because previous peace offers have come to nothing.

Sources say the envoys are close aides to Gaddafi who are in contact with intermediaries who report directly to Sarkozy.

Negotiations

It was not obvious how Gaddafi, who has refused to even contemplate relinquishing power, could be persuaded to change his mind through negotiations.

Some analysts say Gaddafi will only step down if he is left with no other options, but appeals for negotiations could be seen in Tripoli as a sign the West's resolve is weakening, and encourage Gaddafi to hold on longer.

Karim Bitar, a Middle East expert at Paris-based think tank IRIS, said negotiations between the rebels and the Gaddafi camp were likely to be extremely complicated.

"It's not a country where power is easily shared. There are 6 million people, a few powerful tribes and oil reserves almost all in just one area, so it won't be easy to find a sort of an agreement where Gaddafi is on the sidelines and cedes power."

In an interview with French daily Le Figaro on Tuesday the Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi said Tripoli was ready to "negotiate without conditions."

He said: “the bombing must stop first."You don't create democracy under bombs.”

Asked if Gaddafi could be excluded from a political solution, Mahmoudi suggested he could stand aside. "(He) will not intervene in discussions. He is ready to respect the decision of the people." he said.

REUTERS