son of Muammar Gaddafi was attempting to broker a deal.

The tempo of diplomatic and military action paving the way to a possible ceasefire in Libya's bloody civil war was gathering pace yesterday with reports that a son of Muammar Gaddafi was attempting to broker a deal.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who has appeared as a public and belligerent face of the regime during the weeks of violent strife, is said to be proposing an agreement which would limit the role of his father and include opposition figures in an interim government. Elections would be held in the near future and a "reconciliation process" put in place.

The details of the plan cannot be independently verified. However, according to diplomatic sources, senior officials in the West view Saif al-Islam, who supposedly wants to remain to play a "constructive role" in a post-war Libya, as a credible figure.