Libyan Rebels: 'No Talks With Gaddafi'

Rebels fighting to unseat Colonel Gaddafi have dismissed reports of secret talks with the Libyan leader - after his forces fired the conflict's first scud missile.

The 69-year-old is becoming increasingly isolated in the capital Tripoli, with reinvigorated rebel forces closing in from the west and south.

And the country's National Transitional Council (NTC) denied any kind of negotiation with the dictator to resolve the six-month-old conflict.

NTC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said: "The NTC would like to affirm that there are no negotiations either direct or indirect with the Gaddafi regime or with the special envoy of the United Nations."

Gaddafi must step down and leave Libya, he said. "It is unthinkable to hold any negotiations or talks that disregard this basic principle."

It comes after forces loyal to Gaddafi fired a scud missile near Brega, according to reports.

The launch marked the first use of a tactical ballistic weapon by Gaddafi's troops since the conflict started last March.

A warship off the coast monitored the launch from Col Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

No-one is believed to have been hurt in the incident after the missile "overshot" the target by about 50 miles and fell "harmlessly in the desert", a US official said.

The missile attack comes after the US said Libyan rebel advances are choking off Libyan forces in the capital Tripoli and significantly increasing pressure on Col Gaddafi.

US state department spokewoman Victoria Nuland said an envoy from the rebel's National Transitional Council had reopened Libya's embassy in Washington, further formalising ties between the US and rebels.

"What we are seeing is an effort by the rebels to choke off the access routes into Tripoli and to up the pressure on Gaddafi," Ms Nuland said.

"We're encouraged by the progress that they're making, and they are increasing the pressure on Tripoli significantly," she said.

Rebels have threatened to isolate Tripoli by cutting oil pipelines and blocking key supply routes as they edge closer to the capital.

The group pushed into the strategic city of Zawiyah last Saturday - within just 38 miles of Tripoli - with rebel commanders saying they controlled the south and west of the city.

It is is the strongest position they have been in since the civil war started six months ago.