/ 25 June 2011

Zuma to host AU Libya summit

President Jacob Zuma will host the African Union Ad Hoc High Level Committee on Libya in Pretoria, the presidency said on Saturday.

President Jacob Zuma will host the African Union Ad Hoc High Level Committee on Libya in Pretoria, the presidency said on Saturday.

The committee would meet on Sunday to discuss implementation of the AU roadmap on Libya.

These included the immediate cessation of all hostilities and the co-operation of the concerned Libyan authorities to facilitate the diligent delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy populations, the presidency said in a statement.

It would also involve the protection of foreign nationals, including African migrant workers living in Libya, and the adoption and implementation of political reforms necessary for the elimination of the causes of the current crisis.

The meeting would take place ahead of the 17th ordinary session of the assembly of the AU to be held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from June 28 to July 1.

The high level committee is chaired by the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Other members are heads of state of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Uganda and South Africa, as well as the chairperson of the AU Commission.

The committee has held interactions with the Libyan parties on three occasions, including with Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the Transitional National Council leadership in Tripoli and Benghazi in April 2011.

In May Zuma met with Gaddafi in Libya to discuss the peace process. — Sapa