Zuma’s Libya visit ‘inconclusive’

Zuma said Gaddafi would agree to a ceasefire but would not step down - as demanded by NATO and Libyan rebels.

The ceasefire proposal was rejected last month after a mediation mission by Zuma on behalf of the African Union.

A spokesman for Libya's rebels dismissed calls for a ceasefire, and promised to continue their offensive.

Italy Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is expected to visit the rebel-held city of Benghazi on Tuesday.

Frattini will meet members of the Libya Transitional National Council, the opposition alliance against Gaddafi.

His visit comes a day after a news conference in Rome where eight senior Libyan army officers announced their defection from Gaddafi's forces.

On Monday, NATO temporarily lifted its no-fly zone over Libya to allow President Jacob Zuma's South African air force plane to land at the main military air base next to Tripoli.

Zuma emerged from the talks saying Gaddafi is ready to accept an African Union initiative for a ceasefire that would stop all hostilities, including NATO airstrikes in support of rebel forces.

He added that NATO raids were undermining African mediation efforts.

But the calls for a ceasefire were immediately rejected by rebel Foreign Minister Fathi Baja, in Benghazi.

Mr Baja added that the rebels were preparing to launch an offensive against Gaddafi.

A BBC correspondent in Tripoli, said Zuma appears to have made little progress in his attempts to find a peaceful resolution to Libya's crisis.

Both NATO and Libya's rebels had already rejected the AU plan, on the grounds it does not call on Gaddafi to step down.

With the Libyan leader standing firm, it looks like both sides are deadlocked, a BBC correspondent said.

It looks likely that NATO will now intensify its military campaign, with Tripoli already bracing itself for more air strikes, he added.

Fresh air raids on the capital were reported on Monday night, according to Libyan state television.

NATO fighters also targeted sites in the desert city of Al Jufrah, 460km south of Tripoli, it was reported.

The raids have not been confirmed but planes were heard flying over the capital at around midnight local time (2200 GMT Monday), the AFP news agency said.