S. African President Zuma meets with Gaddafi in hopes to end conflict

[News_Editor]

S. African President Zuma meets with Gaddafi in hopes to end conflict

2011-05-31 19:09:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

JOHANNESBURG (BNO NEWS) -- South African President Jacob Zuma on Monday met with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who expressed his anger at the NATO-led airstrikes in his country.

The South African presidency said in a statement to the press on Tuesday that Gaddafi and Zuma held 'lengthy' talks in Tripoli on how to end the ongoing civil war, although the leaders did not discuss an 'exit strategy' for the Libyan leader.

Instead, Zuma instead pursued a roadmap which was adopted by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union in March. That roadmap calls for the immediate cessation of all hostilities, the cooperation of the Libyan government to facilitate the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy populations, and the protection of foreign nationals, including the African migrants living in Libya. It also calls for the adoption and implementation of the political reforms necessary for the elimination of the causes of the current crisis.

"Colonel Gaddafi reiterated his agreement to a ceasefire and a dialogue of the Libyan people to find a political solution," the South African presidency said in the statement. "He expressed his anger at the NATO bombings, which have claimed the lives of his son and grandchildren and continue to cause a destruction of property and disruption of life."

Gaddafi further called for an immediate end to the bombings to enable a Libyan dialogue, while emphasizing that he is not prepared to leave his country despite the difficulties.

Zuma during the meetings was taken on a tour in Tripoli to see the destruction caused by the NATO-led bombings and the deepening of the humanitarian crisis. "The personal safety of Colonel Gaddafi is of concern," the South African presidency said. "The President is satisfied with the progress made and is happy with the frankness of the discussions which have enabled him to gain an understanding of where the Libyan government stands on issues and the way forward."

Zuma said he would give a report on the visit to the African Union. "We call on all leaders in Libya to exercise decisive leadership to find a solution to the crisis in the country, and to put the interests of their country first," Zuma said. "Nothing other than a dialogue among all parties in Libya can bring about a lasting solution. We will also reiterate the African Union (AU) call for the NATO and other parties to respect the AU's role in searching for a solution in the matter."

In addition to talks about the ongoing conflict, Zuma and Gaddafi also discussed the issues surrounding missing South African-Austrian photojournalist Anton Hammerl, whose family believes he has been killed by Libyan forces.

During the talks, Gaddafi and Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi promised to assist in finding the remains of Hammerl. "The South African government will work with the Hammerl family to discuss the proposals made by the Libyan authorities, and also government's own proposals on how to take the matter forward," the South African presidency said, adding that Zuma was encouraged by the cooperative manner of Libyan authorities.

Libya has been engulfed in a civil war since an uprising against Gaddafi's regime began in mid-February. Libyan forces have been accused of violently cracking down on anti-government protesters, resulting in a NATO-led mission to impose a no-fly zone over the North African country. NATO forces have also carried out airstrikes.

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