Libyan leaders in talks in Tunisia

Three Libyan government ministers are in Tunisia for talks with international parties on efforts to halt the conflict in their country, Tunisia's official news agency TAP reported on Monday. It said Health Minister Mohammed Hijazi and Social Affairs Minister Ibrahim Sherif arrived on Sunday in the tourist resort of Jerba, southern Tunisia, where the talks were underway. They joined up with Foreign Minister Abdelati al-Obeidi who has been in Tunisia since last Wednesday and been "in negotiations with several foreign parties," TAP said without giving further details. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Sunday that "contacts are taking place" between Muammar Gaddafi's regime and rebels, notably concerning the Libyan leader's future. A senior official representing Libya's rebels said the same day they were expecting to receive an offer from Gaddafi "very soon" that could end the four-month-old war. Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the rebels' National Transitional Council, said intermediaries had indicated that a proposal from the Libyan strongman was in the works. The NTC was not in direct talks with Gaddafi but understood through contacts with France and South Africa that an offer was being prepared, he said. An African Union panel which met in the South African capital of Pretoria on Sunday said Gaddafi would not participate in peace talks, in what appeared to be a concession.