It was revealed today that the United States engaged in secret direct negotiations with the Libyan government of Moammar Gadhafi, despite having officially recognized the rebels as the “real government” just days prior.
As could well be expected, however, the talks didn’t amount to much, as US and Libyan officials both took hardline positions and neither of them actually gave an inch, so no progress toward any sort of deal appears to have come.
The US officials started the talks with demands that Gadhafi agree to immediately leave office. Needless to say, Libyan officials weren’t willing to open with that and while other talks are ongoing with other nations, the US doesn’t seem like a likely negotiating partner.
The meeting, rather, was about post-meeting spin. Libyan officials insisted the talks proved they were willing to talk. US State Department officials insisted the talks didn’t even count as talks and were just the issuing of a demand – one that they have issued countless times over the past several months.