After a meeting with Moammar Gadhafi on Monday, South African President Jacob Zuma said the embattled Libyan leader was ready to sign an African Union ceasefire proposal, but unwilling to step down. Pro-democracy rebels promptly rejected the offer, and said they wouldn't stop fighting as long as Gadhafi remains in power. Are Zuma and other African leaders wasting their time, or can they broker a peace deal? (Watch an Al Jazeera report about Zuma's visit.)
It's a longshot, but worth trying: "Talking is always preferable to bombing," says David Dayen at Firedoglake. Five of Gadhafi's generals just defected, and his army is reportedly down to 20 percent of its pre-war capacity. With Gadhafi weakening, "perhaps at this point, with little beyond a stalemate on the military horizon, an agreement can be struck." And if the African Union ends up brokering the deal, all the better.
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