Jacob Zuma to meet Muammar Gaddafi in last-ditch peace bid

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Source: The Guardian

African Union leaders are due to arrive in Tripoli on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to broker a diplomatic end to the fighting in Libya in advance of a sharp escalation expected this week, when British and French attack helicopters join the fray.

South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, will meet Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who has so far defied efforts to force him to yield to western-backed pro-democracy rebels. It is unclear whether Zuma will use his rapport with Gaddafi to ask him to leave Libya. Even a personal appeal seems unlikely to succeed, since Gaddafi has told confidantes that it would betray the memory of his son to surrender power, and instead wants to assume a background role while civil institutions are allowed to emerge from his four-decade rule.

However, Britain and France, which are spearheading the strikes on Libya, have insisted Gaddafi leave, paving the way for the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council (TNC) to hold elections. The other members of the G8, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US, also called on Friday for Gaddafi to step down.

Moustafa Adul Jalil, chair of the TNC in Benghazi, said: "The only condition for holding talks of resolving the crisis is that Gaddafi, his inner circle and his family have no future in the political arena of Libya and they must leave. We only welcome the proposition regarding the ceasefire and peace settlement based on this condition."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/29/jacob-zuma-muammar-gaddafi-peace-bid