Tripoli: International efforts are gaining momentum to seek a political solution to the ongoing crisis in violence-torn Libya.
A group of African leaders are expected to visit Libya over the weekend on behalf of the African Union (AU) to mediate an immediate ceasefire between Libya’s government troops and the rebel forces, the South African foreign ministry said Friday.
During their stay in the violence-torn country, South African President Jacob Zuma and leaders of several other African countries will meet with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli and with rebel leaders in the eastern city of Benghazi, according to the ministry.
“Key on the agenda of both meetings will be the immediate implementation of a ceasefire from both sides and the opening of a political dialogue between the two parties,” the ministry said.
The high-level AU envoys will first meet in Mauritania on Saturday before they travel to Libya, it said, adding that NATO, which is implementing a UN-endorsed no-fly zone over Libya, has given the mediators the green light.
The AU panel originally planned to visit Libya last month, but had to reschedule the trip after failing to obtain permission from a multinational coalition that was militarily intervening in the Libya crisis.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Egypt to chair a meeting on Thursday over the situation in Libya, his spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters Friday.
“In an effort to coordinate the international response on Libya, the secretary-general will chair a meeting of concerned international and regional organizations to be held at the League of Arab States headquarters in Cairo on Thursday, the 14th of April,” he said.
“The objective of the meeting will be to exchange views and enhance coordination among the participating organizations in addressing the current crisis in Libya,” he added.
Among the attendants will be Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the League of Arab States; Jean Ping, chairman of the Commission of the African Union (AU); Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
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