Talk of Gadhafi Stepping Down 'Ridiculous', Says His Son

Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam admitted Monday that it was time for "new blood" in his country's leadership but said talk of his father stepping down was "ridiculous".

"The Libyan Guide does not want to control everything. He is at an advanced age. We would like to bring a new elite of young people onto the scene to lead the country and direct local affairs," Seif told French network BFM.

"We need new blood -- that is what we want for the future -- but talk of the Guide leaving is truly ridiculous," he added.

Seif -- who has been touted as a possible successor to his 68-year-old father as Libyan leader or "guide" -- gave the interview in Arabic at the weekend before his father met African Union mediators.

"They're talking about us being exiled to the Caribbean!" he laughed, dismissing calls from the international community and the rebels that have seized eastern Libya for his father to step down.

"Everything has changed. The people have changed. We're talking about a new Libya," he said, implicitly suggesting that he remains ready to play a role as a reformer in a post-conflict Libya.

"The future Libya will be completely different from the Libya that you have known up until now, with the guide, with Seif, with the people, with the East, with the West, with the South -- we are all one united family," he said.

Seif also alleged Qatar had masterminded a scheme to foment rebellion and to get its hands on Libyan oil exports, dragging France and Britain in its wake and tricking the United Nations into supporting action against the regime.

He warned France that it would not make "a single euro" out of the war and that it had lost important contracts that Libya would have signed to buy Airbus airliners and Rafale attack jets.

Nevertheless, he did not rule out talks with the West, saying: "We are ready for talks even with the Devil, but even the Devil must know that there are red lines we will not cross.

"Firstly, Gadhafi is a red line. Several thousand young people have died to defend the colonel," he warned.

"Secondly, for 70 years since our independence in 1952 we have been a united people, but now because of Qatar and the West we hear talk of eastern and western Libya," he complained.

"The third red line is security in Libya. We can't allow anyone to compromise security in Libya by supporting rebel armed groups. Young Libyans are ready to defend the Libyan regime."

Seif also repeated the regime's touchstone charge that rebels holding Benghazi and other eastern cities are inspired and led by elements of Saudi-born Islamist militant Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.