Spain, one of several NATO allies involved in Libya, said on Thursday, May 26, it received a proposal from Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi for an immediate ceasefire.

"We've received the message and our position lies with the rest of Europe," a spokesman for the Prime Minister's office said.

"Everyone is anxious for there to be an agreement ... but certain steps have to be taken first and so far they haven't been taken," he said.

British newspaper The Independent reported that al-Mahmoudi had written to a number of foreign governments proposing an immediate ceasefire to be monitored by the United Nations and the African Union.

It said al-Mahmoudi also requested unconditional talks with the opposition, amnesty for both sides in the conflict and the drafting of a new constitution, but made no mention of leader Muammar Gaddafi's role in the country's future.

There was no immediate comment from Libya, Reuters reported.