African Union leaders resumed talks Friday to thrash out
sticking points on a roadmap to end Libya's conflict amid pressure from the
Libyan rebels to force Moammar Gadhafi to leave power.
"It is a crucial issue, a crucial day," African Union Commission chairman
Jean Ping said as the heads of state arrived for another closed-door session
after the last one ended in the early morning hours without agreement.
A panel of African presidents is seeking backing for their roadmap towards
peace in Libya, with the issue dominating the African Union summit that wraps
up Friday in the Equatorial Guinea capital.
The plan envisages a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, a transition period, reforms
towards democracy and elections, but the position on the future of Gadhafi has
not been made clear.
A rebel delegation invited to Malabo but not included in the heads of state
meeting insists that Gadhafi must quit after more than 40 years in power and
also backs an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for him.
"He must leave," National Transitional Council representative Mansour
Safy Al-Nasr told journalists as leaders including South Africa's Jacob Zuma
and Goodluck Jonathan from Nigeria were locked in discussions late Wednesday.
Asked if he thought the conflict would be resolved through political or
military means, he said: "We are ready for anything."
The rebels were also prepared to end hostilities if Gadhafi left, he said.
"If we see that Gadhafi withdraws, we are ready to stop and negotiate with
our brothers who are around Gadhafi," he said.
The rebel demands could be part of talks, African Union Commission spokesman
Noureddine Mezni told AFP Friday.
"They can bring all these issues to the negotiating table. One day they
have to stop the war and to start negotiations--already people are in an
extremely bad shape, they are suffering a lot," he said.
The African Union panel of five presidents mediating in the conflict could
visit the Libyan regime in Tripoli and rebel headquarters in Benghazi as part
of their efforts to find a plan acceptable to both sides, he said.
With representatives of both the rebels and the regime in Malabo, the leaders
"want to start with them, submitting this proposal, discussing it,"
he said.
The rebel leadership expect a "a clear stance" from the African Union
on whether it supports or condemns Gadhafi, senior Libyan rebel leader Mahmud
Jibril said Thursday.
The ICC warrants for the Libyan leader, his son and the intelligence chief are
for atrocities in the crackdown on an uprising that erupted after rebellions in
Tunisia and Egypt toppled their long-time leaders early this year.
"These arrest warrants reflect the international conviction that massacres
did take place," Jibril told journalists Thursday. "I urge the
African Union to take a clear stance."
The 53-nation African Union is under pressure to find a solution to the
conflict after criticizing the UN-mandated NATO-led air strikes against
Gadhafi's forces and insisting on "African solutions" to the
continent's problems.
The summit opened Thursday with the union critical of France's air-drop of
weapons to the rebels to defend themselves, warning that the guns could fall
into the hands of Al-Qaeda militants active in north Africa.
Libya's rebel council thanked France for the supplies, saying they helped to
save lives, but Russia and other nations accuse Paris of going beyond U.N.
authorization.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Friday France had informed members of
the U.N. Security Council and NATO about the arms drop and it only involved
defensive weapons meant to protect civilians, making it in line with existing
U.N. resolutions on Libya.