While McGrath is correct in theory, the reality is that there's nothing to negotiate except how immediately and how far G will go into exile or (don't count on it) to prison to await trial.

G can end the bloodshed right now by making a simple ego-deflating announcement and joining one of his dictator pals in a place other than Libya, to live in luxury - until someone comes for him as they did Bin Laden or Mlosevic (your choice).

G's history of false ceasefires has already been mentioned. A real one would only give his military a breather to rebuild their communication systems while the pointless negotiating continues. (If he isn't leaving now, he won't leave when the heat is off.) It would also suggest to Gaddafi wanna-bes not that NATO is humane but that NATO is losing and indecisive. It could also boost G's popularity at home as the man that NATO couldn't break.

But perhaps this is all fantasy. Perhaps G is really a good guy who wants the best for his people, and he'd never in a million years take advantage. Perhaps this is all just a silly misunderstanding.

General ceasefires don't work until one side is actually ready to quit. That kind is called an "armistice."