President Jacob Zuma and his counterparts from the Congo, Mali, Mauritania and Uganda will travel to Libya within the next days to assess the crisis gripping the North African state, Deputy International Relations Minister Marius Fransman said on Tuesday.
The five presidents will do so in their capacity as a high-level panel appointed by the AU on March 10 to mediate an end to bloodshed in Libya, Fransman said.
“This panel will arrive this weekend or next week.”
Fransman said South Africa viewed the situation in Libya as grave and wanted to urge both the regime of Muammar Gaddafi and rebels fighting to end his four decades in power to end hostilities.
“The conflict in Libya is taking on the character of a civil war.”
Fransman said the AU initiative should not be seen as running contrary to the United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on February 26 to impose an arms embargo on Libya and sanctions against key figures in the Gaddafi regime.
“We are not undoing that. This decision of the AU’s engagement last week is not overriding another decision.” — Sapa