Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma is on his way back home after holding what he described as a “detailed and long” talk with embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Zuma says Gaddafi is ready to carry out an African Union (AU) roadmap for solving the crisis in the North African country.
The high-level AU committee on Libya proposed a five-point roadmap for peace, calling on conflicting parties in Libya to protect civilians, stop hostilities and provide humanitarian aid equally to both Libyans and immigrants in that country.
The committee also called for political dialogue to end the crisis, a transitional period and necessary political reforms to meet the demands of the Libyan people.
“I can say that the Libyan leader is ready to implement what is in the roadmap by the AU,” Zuma said at a press conference shortly before leaving the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday.
It is not clear whether President Zuma did raise the issue of slain SA photographer Anton Hammerl, who was shot by Libyan forces in April. His death was only confirmed this month, after weeks of denials from authorities there.
Zuma informed Gaddafi of “recent steps and measures taken by the AU,” and iterated an AU call for dialogue between Libyans.
The Libyan government has accepted the AU’s initiative and the African roadmap, Zuma said, adding that Gaddafi assured him of “the importance of the ceasefire proposed by the AU on condition that NATO and (others) stop bombing and give the Libyan people a chance to solve their problems by themselves.”
However, the peace initiative has been rejected by the Benghazi-based rebels, who said it doesn’t address their major demand, namely, the departure of Gaddafi. – BuaNews–Xinhua
