Libyan Rebels: No To Election Offer

Reuters reports:

(Reuters) - Libya's Muammar Gaddafi is willing to hold elections and step aside if he lost, his son said, an offer quickly dismissed Thursday by rebels and the United States.

Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "They (elections) could be held within three months. At the maximum by the end of the year, and the guarantee of transparency could be the presence of international observers."

He said his father would be ready to step aside if he lost the election, though he would not go into exile.

Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi later appeared to put the potential concession in question, telling reporters: "I would like to correct (that) and say that the leader of the revolution is not concerned by any referendum."

He added that there was no reason for the Libyan leader to step down in any case, because he had not held any formal political or administrative post since 1977.

A visiting Russian envoy said Al-Mahmoudi had told him Gaddafi would not leave power.

Gaddafi's officials have in the past said an eventual election could be part of a deal to end the crisis, while asserting that the country would rally behind Gaddafi in any vote. Rebels, who rose up four months ago, say they will not trust a political process arranged with Gaddafi still in power.