Libya is a sea across Italy but 6,000km from South Africa.
Libya isn't part of the African Union and does it even want to be considered part of Africa?
Is AU a lightweight thinking its an elephant?
I think AU is the biggest joke, get your houses in order, then people will listen to you.
I think AU is the biggest joke, get your houses in order, then people will listen to you.
AU invites Libyan combattants to discuss ceasefire
PARIS — The African Union has invited the two sides in the conflict on Libya to its headquarters in Addis Ababa to discuss a ceasefire, AU Commission chief Jean Ping said in Paris Thursday.
"From tomorrow a meeting is planned in Addis Ababa with those pro-Kadhafi and those anti-Kadhafi to lay down a ceasefire," he said at a lecture in the French capital, though he did not say whether such a meeting could take place given the bombing of Libya.
Ping repeated the AU's opposition to the "external military intervention" led by the United States, France and Britain.
He detailed "a programme, a timetable, an agenda" to resolve the crisis that provides for a "ceasefire" to "facilitate humanitarian aid" and "protect foreign immigrant workers" in Libya many of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa.
The plan also seeks to "confirm the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people for democracy," he said.
Ping said he was sceptical about the next stages of the military operation. "The air exclusion zone, more or less, the aim has been achieved. It was necessary to ensure Benghazi was not taken," he said.
"That is done. What is the next step? There are disagreements, there are quarrels" between coalition members.
"When I ask: what is the next stage? Do you have a road map? I see they do not."
Ping deplored the fact that African nations had not been adequately consulted by the West-led coalition and justified thereby his absence from a Paris summit called by French President Nicolas Sarkozy last Saturday, just before the first strikes.
"Why should I come to Paris for lunch and a photo, when I was not consulted," he said.
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