Saturday, July 2, 2011

Libyan govt, rebels to hold talks in Ethiopia: AU | Arabic region | Trend

Libyan govt, rebels to hold talks in Ethiopia: AU

Representatives of the Libyan government and rebels will soon meet in Ethiopia in a bid to negotiate a way out of the current crisis in their country, South African President Jacob Zuma said in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, on Friday.

Zuma, who is also spokesman of the African Union (AU) High Level Ad Hoc Committee on Libya, made the announcement at a press conference after the conclusion of the 17th AU Summit, at which the Libya issue was the hottest subject of debate, Xinhua reported.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would not attend the talks in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Zuma said, giving no more details about the arrangement.

The AU has handed its proposals to delegates of Libya's two conflicting sides attending the AU conference, urging the two sides to follow the AU's road map to halt hostilities and start talks immediately, Zuma said.

The South African president also lashed out at NATO's continued aerial bombardment of Libya, which has last for more than three months under the disguise of protecting civilians in Libya.

In its peace plan, the AU suggests that the timeframe for negotiations between Libya's government and rebels should be limited to a maximum of 30 days unless the parties to the talks decide otherwise, and that the international community should help to facilitate the process.

The AU's proposals also include enforcing an arms embargo inside Libya till the end of the transitional period and implementing necessary reforms to meet the legitimate demands of the Libyan people, including organizing elections under international monitoring.

The 53-member bloc also urged the international community to deploy observers to the North African country, establish an efficient, reliable monitoring body and beef up humanitarian aid.

Speaking at the same press conference, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, which holds the rotating AU chair, said the Libya crisis is threatening to divide the country into two should it fail to end soon.

The AU will not accept such an outcome, he stressed, adding that the Libyan government and rebels can bring their legitimate aspirations to the table and settle their differences through consultations.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Cause of the Existing Popular Uprisings in Ethiopia is Marginalization of People And Domination of Minority Clique, Ministry Underlines- allAfrica.com: Eritrea:


Asmara — The Eritrean Foreign Ministry underlined that the Cause of the existing popular uprisings in Ethiopia As the marginalization of people and domination of a minority clique. The misguided policies and practices on the part of the US Administration also aggravated instability in Ethiopia and the region at large, it added.
Stating that the growing popular uprisings of the Oromo, Amhara, Afar, Tigray, Benishangul, Ogaden, Debub Hizboch and others are being intensified, the Ministry pointed out that instead of addressing the cause of the prevailing popular uprisings, trying to accuse the people and Government of Eritrea has no any legal ground at all.



It went on indicate that the crises that unfolded in the Middle East in the past couple of months emanated from domestic problems and policies serving external forces, as well as total absence of national harmony and rampant corruption of regimes. The Ministry further explained that the existing and future potential threat in Ethiopia, coupled with the failed conspiracies weaved against the Eritrean people have escalated Washington's frustration and that of subservient entities.
As the TPLF is well aware of, the people and Government of Eritrea support the just opposition of all peoples and the principle of self-reliance, and not a substitute, the Ministry elaborated. It further noted that the opposition of the Ethiopian nationalities continues to gain momentum due to a just cause and capacity at the domestic level.
The Foreign Ministry underscored that the Government of Eritrea is not inclined to engage in nonsensical squabbles and trap through deviating from the main issue.