TRIPOLI - Libya said on Thursday it was ready for a ceasefire and negotiations with rebels who hold the east of the country but demanded it include an immediate halt to NATO airstrikes.
The proposal by Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, who said it mirrored a plan floated by the African Union, one of Tripoli's few allies, for resolving the conflict, came on the heels peace overtures to Spain and other foreign countries.
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"Libya is serious about a ceasefire, which must be a ceasefire from all sides, especially NATO," Mahmudi told reporters in Tripoli. He dismissed, however, any prospect of Gaddafi's departure -- a key rebel demand.
