President Jacob Zuma returns from Libya and Mauritania
President Jacob Zuma has returned from his visit to Libya and Mauritania, undertaken as part of the African Union Ad-hoc High Level Committee on Libya aimed at working towards a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis.
The Committee first met in Mauritania, before heading off to Tripoli yesterday, 10th of April, where they met with the leader of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Leader Muammar Gaddafi. Today, 11th of April, the Heads of State will proceed to Benghazi to meet with the opposition. President Zuma had to return to South Africa as he is scheduled to leave for China tomorrow to attend South Africa's first meeting as a member of the Brazil-Russia-India-China grouping, which has since been known as BRICS following South Africa's membership.
"Our visit was a huge success. The Libyan Leader, Muammar Gaddafi, accepted the road map of the African Union which in our view will enable the AU to assist Libya towards lasting peace and democracy. Only an inclusive dialogue among the Libyan parties on the appropriate reforms will ensure a lasting solution in Libya. South Africa, as a member of the panel, is very happy with the outcome of the meeting", said President Zuma on arrival in Pretoria.
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union adopted the following roadmap for the resolution of the situation in Libya on 10 March, which was this weekend accepted by the Libyan authorities:
The AUPSC expressed its conviction that the current situation in Libya calls for an urgent African action to achieve the following:
The immediate cessation of all hostilities,
The cooperation of the competent Libyan authorities to facilitate the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy populations,
The protection of foreign nationals, including the African migrants living in Libya
The adoption and implementation of the political reforms necessary for the elimination of the causes of the current crisis.
Statement issued by Zizi Kodwa, The Presidency, April 11 2011
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