ALGIERS -?Muammar Gadhafi was staying in a town on the Libyan-Algerian border waiting for permission to enter Algeria, the French-language newspaper El Watan reported Wednesday in its online edition, quoting sources from the Algerian president's office.

The report said Gadhafi was in Ghadames, an oasis town in west Libya, accompanied by the rest of his family.

Gadhafi had tried to negotiate with the Algerian authorities on his entry into Algeria, the report said, adding that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika refused to answer Gadhafi's phone calls.

Instead, a presidential aide apologized to Gadhafi and told him Bouteflika was busy, the report said.

The report can not be immediately confirmed.