AU calls emergency meeting on Libya

The Africa Union has called for an emergency meeting today to discuss the political changes happening in Libya.

According to an official letter seen by Africa Review, the AU’s most powerful body, the Peace and Security Committee, set to meet today (Monday) at 4.30 pm at the AU Addis Ababa headquarters to review the developments in Libya.

The AU is expected to then take an official position on the situation.

Last week, the AU received a letter from embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appealing for fast intervention and the re-activation of peace negotiations proposed by the continental bloc.

Col. Gaddafi expressed his readiness for a peace deal and urged the AU to help him in urging NATO to stop its bombing immediately.

In a related development, the AU has called a meeting of five African Heads of State who were involved in the Libyan mediation process, among them the leaders of Uganda and South Africa, to ask NATO to halt its bombing of Libya.

The five leaders are set to meet in Addis Ababa on August 26.

The Transitional National Council (TNC) of the rebels which has in the past spurned AU peace proposals have reportedly expressed to the AU their readiness to negotiate but with some “small pre-conditions.”

Many AU member states have been supportive of Gaddafi and strongly opposed to NATO military intervention in Libya.