Gaddafi will step down if he loses proposed elections

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, has proposed a unique solution to the ongoing battle in the North African nation.

On the condition of a cease-fire between rebels, NATO forces and the Libyan military, al-Islam said the nation would hold free elections and draft a new constitution.

The Libyan leader's son told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that if he lost the election, his father would accept the vote and peacefully step down. However, the elder Gaddafi would not leave Libya for good, because he was born here and this is where he will die.

Al-Islam added that he thought defeat was unlikely. He promised the elections would be fair and be held under the watchful eye of international organizations.

Writing a new constitution and preparing for the popular elections would take three months, al-Islam said.

The US State Department balked at the idea.

I think it's a little late for that, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at a press briefing.

It's a little late for any proposals by Gaddafi and his circle for democratic change. It's time for him to go,

The only proposal the United States would accept would Gaddafi's stepping down from power.