Libya's interim leadership has rejected the idea of deploying any kind of international military force, the UN envoy to the country has said.
Ian Martin said the UN had considered the deployment of military observers.
Earlier, the chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC) said the country did not need outside help to maintain security.
The news came as fighters loyal to the council approached the pro-Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte from east and west.
Meanwhile, the rebels are learning the hard way how to patrol formerly 'hostile' territory without turning to reprisals.
As rebels forces have inched closer to Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown and the seat of his tribe, they have been sending patrols into the villages ahead of their front lines to probe the loyalists' strength and establish a presence along the coastal highway.
While the rebels have captured broad swaths of Libya, the loyalists who still control Sirte have rebuffed all negotiations. For most of the six-month conflict, the rebels have been greeted with open arms by Libyans exhausted with 42 years of Gadhafi's erratic rule. But that changes in places like this, edging closer to towns where Gadhafi had genuine support.
"We patrol here to see if there are any Gadhafi supporters or remnants of his soldiers, which we would then fight," Mohammed Sherif said as he drove a spray-painted rebel pickup truck with a huge machine-gun bolted on the back. "Of course we would leave the civilians alone."
And one of MQ's sons is throwing in the towel and maybe flipping sides.
Saadi Qaddafi, Muammar's third son, the one who was financing a Hollywood production company, has told the National Transitional Council he is willing to surrender and join the revolution, al-Jazeera is reporting.
By: Brant
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