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Seif al-Islam Gaddafi - no surrender?
Photo: AFP/HO/LibyanTV
Al-Saadi Gaddafi - negotiating surrender?
Photo: Getty imagebank

Gaddafi's sons go head to head over surrender

As Gaddafi son and heir apparent Seif al-Islam vws to fight to the death, rebel commanders say al-Saadi Gaddafi is trying to negotiate terms of surrender

Muammar Gaddafi's son vowed Wednesday to fight to the death, insisting no regime loyalists would surrender to the rebels, who are closing in on Gaddafi's final strongholds.

 

Seif al-Islam, Gaddafi's longtime heir-apparent, said he was speaking from the suburbs of Tripoli and insisted his father was fine.

 

"We are going to die in our land," he said in an audio statement broadcast on Syria's Al-Rai television, claiming he was speaking for loyalist leaders who had met in the Gaddafi bastion of Bani Walid. "No one is going to surrender."

 

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His statement came shortly after a conflicting interview on Al-Arabiya television by a man claiming to be his brother, al-Saadi, who said he was ready to mediate talks with the rebels in order to bring the fighting to an end.


כוחות המורדים בדרך לסירט, עיר הולדתו של קדאפי (צילום: AP)

Rebel forces en route to Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown (Photo: AP)

 

Earlier it was reported that al-Saadi was trying to negotiate the terms of his own surrender.

 

The rebel commander in Tripoli Abdel Hakim Belhaj, said al-Saadi first called him Tuesday and asked whether his safety could be guaranteed. "We told him 'Don't fear for your life. We will guarantee your rights as a human being, and will deal with you humanely,' said Belhaj, who added that al-Saadi would be turned over to legal authorities.

 

If the offer is confirmed the rebels have previously claimed to have captured Gaddafi's son, who hours later turned up free the surrender would be a major blow to Gaddafi's crumbling regime. The rebels have been pressing toward Gaddafi's last major stronghold, his hometown of Sirte, and loyalists now only control a handful of major cities.

 

Seeking refuge

Belhaj said Al-Saadi told him he had not killed anyone, and that "he was not against the people."

"I told him 'This is good. What is important for us is not to shed Libyan blood. For the members of the regime to surrender is the best way to do this,'" Belhaj said.

 
סייף אל-איסלאם ברחובות טריפולי. בדיווח נשמע רק קולו המוקלט (צילום: AP)

Seif al-Islam on streets of Tripoli (Photo: AP)

 

The commander said al-Saadi had called back early Wednesday morning, but that he had missed the call. He said he knows al-Saadi's whereabouts, but prefers to negotiate a surrender. He gave no further details.

 

Belhaj's comments came hours after Gaddafi's chief spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, called the AP headquarters in NY, reiterating the senior Gaddafi's offer to send al-Saadi to negotiate with the rebels and form a transitional government. The rebels have previously rejected such offers.

 

Ibrahim also rejected a rebel ultimatum for loyalists in Sirte to surrender by Saturday or face an attack.

 

There has been speculation that Gaddafi is seeking refuge in Sirte or one of the other remaining regime strongholds, among them the towns of Bani Walid or Sabha. Top rebel officials say they have "a good idea" where Gaddafi is hiding, but haven't given any details.

 

"No dignified honorable nation would accept an ultimatum from armed gangs," he said. Ibrahim reiterated Gaddafi's offer to send his son al-Saadi to negotiate with rebels and form a transitional government.

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.31.11, 18:36
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