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Gaddafi likely hiding in Libyan desert: Italian FM

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Embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has not escaped from Libya and is most probably hiding in the desert, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Wednesday.

In a radio interview to state television Rai, Frattini ruled out that Gaddafi had escaped across the boundary together with his family, as reported by several networks, stressing however that his end was drawing close.

"Let's not waste time conjuring fantastic theories of where Gaddafi might be now. We must never forget that Libya is a vast country, a desert country, and I believe he is seeking refuge somewhere in the internal areas," he said.

Frattini also said that an eventual escape from Libya across its frontiers would not have gone unnoticed and would have been immediately tracked down by the NATO radars and controllers who were constantly keeping an eye on all suspect movements and people.

According to Frattini, Gaddafi's fate was strictly linked to the fall of his native city Sirte into the hands of the rebels, which he said was "just a matter of days" and would inevitably pave the way towards the end of the conflict in Libya.

"In these recent days NATO has prolonged its military mission to Libya up to September and it will achieve its ultimate goal when Libya will be totally freed from all regime forces. This is why Sirte stands as the last stronghold of Gaddafi's crumbling reign and its end will symbolize the end of Gaddafi," he added.

Libyan rebels have urged Gaddafi's loyalists to surrender and hand over Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. Meanwhile, the United Nations said it has prepared blueprints for post-conflict Libya.

According to reports, Gaddafi's wife Safiya, his daughter Aisha, and sons Hannibal and Mohammed, accompanied by their children, entered Algeria Monday morning through the Algerian-Libyan border, but the whereabouts of the embattled leader remain unknown.

Libyan rebel spokesman Mahmud Shammam told reporters in Tripoli Tuesday the rebels have already demanded Gaddafi's family members be extradited to face Libyan courts.

Algeria's Foreign Ministry said the United Nations and Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) had been informed, adding that Algeria allowed the Gaddafis to stay in the country on humanitarian grounds only, Algeria's state-owned radio reported Tuesday.