Colonel Muammer Gaddafi has suggested he would be willing to step aside if certain conditions are met, according to people familiar with unofficial contacts between the Libyan regime and members of the Nato-led coalition supporting the country’s rebels.

Col Gaddafi’s demands include being allowed to remain in Libya. The parties have also discussed whether International Criminal Court charges against the Libyan leader could be dropped. However, one person close to the coalition said such a highly controversial move would only be examined if the Libyan leader steps down.

Alain Juppé, French foreign minister, on Tuesday confirmed the contacts, while warning that Col Gaddafi’s departure was still far from certain. “It is not today a real negotiation,” he said in a radio interview. “We are receiving emissaries who have [told] us: ‘Look, Gaddafi is ready to go, let’s talk about it.’”