NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen revealed on July 6 that NATO would hold talks with the Libyan opposition in Brussels on July 13. Mahmoud Jibril, head of Libya's opposition National Transitional Council, will take the opportunity to speak about a road map for a democratic transition. Future political arrangements of Libya have gradually become as important as the ongoing civil war.

It has been more than four months since the war began in Libya. With the military support of NATO, the opposition forces based in Benghazi have occupied nearly half of Libya's territory. Furthermore, more than 20 countries have officially recognized the National Transitional Council. By contrast, the Tripoli-based government of Muammar Gaddafi has suffered successive defeats not only in the war but also in diplomacy. At present, the armed confrontation between government forces and rebels still continues in Libya.

There are only two ways out of the Libya crisis: It either splits into two independent countries or completes the transfer of power and restores national unity as soon as possible. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in 1949 leading to the establishment of a sovereign Libyan state comprising three historically diverse regions.

After the unrest started in Libya, certain Western scholars suggested splitting it into two countries, but both sides of the civil war stick to the principle of "one Libya." The most realistic option at the moment is for all parties involved to make rational decisions to put an end to the civil war and restore Libya's unity as soon as possible.

In regard to Tripoli, Muammar Gaddafi needs to make a choice between fierce resistance and retirement with security on the premise that Benghazi can control its destiny. In regard to Benghazi, various parties need to reach a consensus on how to deal with Muammar Gaddafi and his family to avoid leaving tribal vendettas and producing more long-lasting civil strife. Various parties from Benghazi previously said that the opposition faction would not refuse to solve the crisis in Libya through political means.

They can ensure the security of Gaddafi's family if he can give up power and order government forces to withdraw from their fighting positions. However, objectors in Benghazi quickly denied this statement. Afterward, some media revealed that Gaddafi is willing to "exchange power for security," which was also quickly refuted by the Libyan government spokesman.

It is not easy for the two sides to reach a compromise. However, ending the civil war through military means will inevitably cause more casualties and leave more hatred, thereby making a new political order a long-term stability in Libya more difficult. Both sides of the civil war should seriously attempt a mutually acceptable political solution through negotiations to rationally end the civil war for Libya's future. It is likely to bring catastrophic consequences if they determine to continue the war.

NATO has also not intended to use only military approaches to complete the regime change. It is not difficult to find through observation that the course of the civil war in Libya has always been under the reign of NATO: When the government forces approached the rebel forces' headquarters Benghazi, France rushed to launch an air attack after the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution. In doing so, it saved the headquarters and escalated a regional civil war into an all-out civil war.

Thereafter, whenever the government forces made some progress on the battlefield, heavy NATO air strikes would force them to retreat. When the rebel forces desperately needed air support from NATO after they advanced too fast and the distance between battlefront and home front was too long, NATO aircraft did not appear, causing the rebel forces to contract their battlefront.

The civil war in Libya is not a short-term war, and all parties involved in the war, including NATO, have been trapped. The United States has held back its moves since the outset and France, which took the lead in air attacks, is in a more difficult dilemma because if they make missteps in Libya, it will leave a tough deadlock facing all parties involved there like they did in Afghanistan.

Given the current war situation, all parties involved are aware that it is easy to launch a war, while it is difficult to reconstruct the country. The more escalated the war is, the more difficult the reconstruction will be. In fact, the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 not only authorized the use of arms but also made clear the direction of solving the Libya crisis through political means "leading to the political reforms necessary to find a peaceful and sustainable solution."

Political negotiations are the only sound approach to solve the issue of Libya, and an ultimate answer as well.