The EU has sent a mission to the rebel-held eastern town of Benghazi in Libya, a spokesman for the bloc’s foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said yesterday.

A diplomatic source said the possible imposition of a no-fly zone “is part of the prudent planning” undertaken by the 27-nation bloc.

EU members Britain and France have been pushing for the UN Security Council to agree to police Libya’s skies as troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi press in against insurgents. The EU mission was in Benghazi on Sunday and yesterday. Its work “follows on from the technical visit to Tripoli the previous week,” the spokesman added.

In London yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron admitted Britain has yet to “win the argument” for a no-fly zone over Libya but said support from the region this weekend was “very encouraging”.

Plans by London and Paris to draw up a UN Security Council resolution on Libya that includes a no-fly zone won support on Saturday from the Arab League.

The possibility of negotiating a ceasefire as an alternative to the military option was raised at the Saturday meeting of EU foreign ministers, backed by a group of countries including Malta, Italy, Greece and Cyprus.

“There are two schools of thought, one urges the use of military force, and the other, supported by a certain number of member states, which says that a ceasefire is the card we should play,” said an EU diplomat who requested anonymity.

Asked whether Gaddafi’s latest victories on the ground would tilt Western powers towards a negotiated end to the conflict, a top EU diplomat said: “I think it’s more of an encouragement to act rather than an encouragement to negotiate.”

“You can’t negotiate with Gaddafi,” the senior diplomat added.