We want Gaddafi put on trial, not killed, rebel leaders declare

LIBYA’S rebels want to drive Muammar Gaddafi from power and see him tried — not have him killed, a European representative for the leading opposition group said yesterday.

Ali Zeidan, an envoy for the Libyan National Transitional Council, also told The Associated Press that air strikes led by France, Britain and the US have helped the rebels, but that the opposition needs more weapons to win.

His comments suggested that rebels were considering a peaceful exit route for Gaddafi, whose autocratic 42-year reign in Libya has been marked by bloody battles between loyalist forces and rebels in recent weeks.