President Zuma to host the 6th Meeting of the African Union Ad Hoc High Level Committee on Libya

President Jacob Zuma will tomorrow, 26 June 2011, host the African Union Ad Hoc High Level Committee on Libya in Pretoria.

The Committee was established on 10 March 2011 at a Summit-level meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council. The Committee was established to assist the Libyan people to work towards a peaceful political solution to the current challenges they face.

The High Level Committee is chaired by His Excellency the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and other members are Heads of State of the 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 (TNC) leadership in Tripoli and Benghazi in April 2011.

In addition President Zuma last month also met with Colonel Gaddafi in Tripoli to discuss the peace process.

The Committee will be meeting to discuss implementation of the AU roadmap on Libya which includes the following:

• the immediate cessation of all hostilities;
  
  
• the cooperation of the concerned Libyan authorities to facilitate the diligent delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy populations;
  
  
• 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 takes place ahead of the ahead of the 17th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union being held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 28 June to 01 July.

The details of the Libyan Ad Hoc Committee meeting are as follows:

Date:  26 June 2011

Venue:  Presidential Guesthouse, Pretoria (media to use gate 10)

Time: 09:30 (media to arrive at 08:30 for a photo opportunity)

1300 (media arrival time for the Press Conference)

RSVP: Jonas.Mashigo@gmail.com and Bongo.Sonqishe@hotmail.com

Enquiries Zizi Kodwa on 082 330 4910 and Saul Molubi on 082 940 1647.

Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation

OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria

25 June 2011