<p>Pressure is growing from some quarters within the alliance to find a political solution, three months into a military campaign which is costing Nato members billions of dollars, has killed civilians, and has so far failed to topple Gadhafi.<br /><br />Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gadhafi’s administration, told reporters in Tripoli the government was proposing a period of national dialogue and an election overseen by the United Nations and the African Union.<br /><br />“If the Libyan people decide Gadhafi should leave he will leave. If the people decide he should stay he will stay,” Ibrahim said.<br /><br />Leader not leaving<br /><br />But he said Gadhafi — who has run the oil-producing country since taking over in a military coup in 1969 — would not go into exile whatever happened. “Gadhafi is not leaving anywhere, he is staying in this country,” Ibrahim said.<br /><br />The idea of holding an election was first raised earlier this month by one of Gadhafi’s sons, Saif al-Islam.<br /><br />The proposal lost momentum when Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi appeared to dismiss it. At the time, it was also rejected by anti-Gadhafi rebels in the east of Libya, and by Washington.<br /><br />Many analysts say Gadhafi and his family have no intention of relinquishing power. Instead, they say, the Libyan leader is holding out the possibility of a deal to try to widen cracks that have been emerging in the alliance ranged against him.<br /><br />The election proposal could find a more receptive audience this time around, especially after a Nato bomb landed on a house in Tripoli on June 19, killing several civilians.<br /><br />After that incident, alliance-member Italy said it wanted a political settlement, and also said that the civilian casualties threaten Nato’s credibility.</p>
<p>Pressure is growing from some quarters within the alliance to find a political solution, three months into a military campaign which is costing Nato members billions of dollars, has killed civilians, and has so far failed to topple Gadhafi.<br /><br />Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gadhafi’s administration, told reporters in Tripoli the government was proposing a period of national dialogue and an election overseen by the United Nations and the African Union.<br /><br />“If the Libyan people decide Gadhafi should leave he will leave. If the people decide he should stay he will stay,” Ibrahim said.<br /><br />Leader not leaving<br /><br />But he said Gadhafi — who has run the oil-producing country since taking over in a military coup in 1969 — would not go into exile whatever happened. “Gadhafi is not leaving anywhere, he is staying in this country,” Ibrahim said.<br /><br />The idea of holding an election was first raised earlier this month by one of Gadhafi’s sons, Saif al-Islam.<br /><br />The proposal lost momentum when Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi appeared to dismiss it. At the time, it was also rejected by anti-Gadhafi rebels in the east of Libya, and by Washington.<br /><br />Many analysts say Gadhafi and his family have no intention of relinquishing power. Instead, they say, the Libyan leader is holding out the possibility of a deal to try to widen cracks that have been emerging in the alliance ranged against him.<br /><br />The election proposal could find a more receptive audience this time around, especially after a Nato bomb landed on a house in Tripoli on June 19, killing several civilians.<br /><br />After that incident, alliance-member Italy said it wanted a political settlement, and also said that the civilian casualties threaten Nato’s credibility.</p>