A 22-NATION GROUP is meeting with representatives of Libya’s rebel council in order to formulate a detailed plan on how they will run Libya after Muammar Gaddafi eventually leaves power.

The talks, which include Arab states as well as western powers like the US, UK and France, are hoping to press the rebels into presenting detailed proposals on how the North African country will be run in Gaddafi’s absence, the International Business Times reports.

The discussions began as US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Gaddafi’s top aides were already discussing how to pave the way for a transition of power – apparently acknowledging that the administration cannot forever withstand the NATO bombardments.

A Bloomberg report suggested that the figures who had approached the rebels for secret talks included Gaddafi’s son Saif Al-Islam, whose approach had been confirmed by an aide to rebel leader Mahmoud Jebril.

“Of course, he is trying to put some terms. We understand those terms and we know how to play the negotiations,” a rebel spokesman told a Bloomberg TV report.

The rebels have meanwhile won a grant of over $1bn to aid their cause, with Radio New Zealand reporting that the US will cover almost half of the fund. France, Kuwait and Turkey are the other main donors.

The rebels had claimed they would need around $3bn to fund their operations for the next four months.