20110411
reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO reacted coolly on Monday to a ceasefire proposal for Libya, saying Muammar Gaddafi had broken his word repeatedly and the alliance would continue to target his forces as long as they threatened civilians.

South African President Jacob Zuma urged NATO to stop air strikes on government targets to give a truce "a chance", after Gaddafi said he accepted an African Union road map for ending the conflict in Libya including an immediate ceasefire.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a Brussels news briefing that Gaddafi's government had announced ceasefires in the past, but "they did not keep their promises".

A NATO statement said government forces had shelled the western town of Misrata for more than 30 minutes on Monday, "despite the Gaddafi government talking of a ceasefire".

Rasmussen said he had taken note of the African Union ceasefire proposal but said: "We have not received any formal request as regards the implementation of any ceasefire."

A truce would require an effective monitoring mechanism, he said. "Any ceasefire must be credible and verifiable... There must be a complete end to violence and a complete end to all attacks and abuses of civilians."

Rasmussen also said any solution would have to answer the demands of the Libyan people for political reforms. He said he looked forward to a meeting of the international contact group for Libya in Doha on Wednesday, which would provide the framework for a lasting settlement.

A rebel spokesman in Misrata said forces loyal to Gaddafi had fired Russian-made Grad rockets at targets in the city.