CAIRO: Libyan rebels, fighting Muammar Gaddafi's forces for 6 months, are on the verge of taking the country's capital Tripoli, reports coming from the frontlines of the battle said on Sunday evening. As the rebels advance, Gaddafi has issued a statement saying he is ready to negotiate and has offered a ceasefire. Gaddafi was reportedly prepared to negotiate directly with the head of the rebel National Transitional Council, his spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said. Ibrahim, speaking on Libya's national television, also called on NATO troops to intervene and convince the rebel fighters to cease operations. According to Ibrahim, some 1,300 people have been killed in fighting in and around Tripoli. BM
