Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani urged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi yesterday to step down to halt bloodshed and said that he might only have a few days to negotiate an exit. “We urge Gaddafi and his people to leave,” the Prime Minister told a news conference. “I think this is the only solution to sort this problem as soon as possible. Right now we don’t see any indication of that. But this hope which we offer now might not be on the table after a few days. I’m not warning anybody here, but I am trying to stop the bloodshed as soon as possible,” he added. The United States, Britain and Qatar suggested that Gaddafi and his family could be allowed to go into exile if they took up the offer quickly to end six weeks of bloodshed. Washington and Paris also raised the possibility of arming the rebels, although both stressed no decision had been taken. A London conference of 40 governments and international organisations agreed to set up a contact group to coordinate political efforts on Libya’s future, which would hold its first meeting in Qatar soon. “Participants of the conference agreed to establish the Libya Contact Group,” said a statement issued by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who chaired the meeting of more than 35 countries plus the UN and Nato. He added: “Qatar has agreed to convene the first meeting of the group as soon as possible.”

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar