Talks in Libya between Moamar Gaddafi and South African president Jacob Zuma have failed to produce a breakthrough to end the three-month conflict.

Mr Zuma has held talks with Mr Gaddafi in Tripoli, saying the Libyan leader has again offered a ceasefire and other measures towards peace.

But he has again refused to step down from power - a key demand by Libyan rebels and NATO.

NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen earlier insisted Mr Gaddafi's "reign of terror" was nearing an end.

Mr Gaddafi's regime continues to lose support, with eight senior army officers defecting from the military to join the uprising against him.

They have urged other army officers to follow suit.

One of the eight has calculated Mr Gaddafi's military forces are now only 20 per cent as effective as what they were before the uprising began, and he estimates that no more than 10 army generals remain loyal to the Libyan leader.