Libya crisis - The African Union has appointed presidents of Mali, Amadou Toumani Toure; South Africa, Jacob Zuma; Uganda, Yoweri Museveni; Mauritania, Abdul Aziz and Congo-Brazzaville, Sassou Nguesso to the new high level panel to resolve the ongoing crisis in Libya. The AU's Peace and Security Council has kicked against foreign military interventions to end the crisis in the North African state. Instead, AU said it would deploy a high level committee to help negotiate a peace deal between the Libyan government and rebel forces. The presidential level meeting of the PSC that lasted from Thursday afternoon to early Friday early rejected military intervention in Libya, as the West contemplates imposing a no-fly zone on Libya.

'The council reaffirms its firm commitment to the respect of the unity and territorial integrity of Libya, as well as its rejection of any form of foreign military intervention,' Ramtane Lamamra, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, said at the end of the meeting.

The announcement came a day after NATO defence ministers who met in Brussels postponed any decision on a no-fly zone in Libya until it gets a UN clearance.

The council decided to 'put in place a high level AU ad hoc committee' tasked with working towards 'immediate cessation of all hostilities' and to monitor the crisis, according to Lamamra.

He said the crisis in Libya 'poses a serious threat to the peace and security in the country and in the region as a whole'.

The Commissioner also said the Council expressed solidarity of the AU with Libya, and stressed the legitimacy of the aspirations of the Libyan people for democracy, political reforms, justice, peace and security as well as economic and social development.

Libya is a member of the PSC and its Foreign Affairs Minister, Moussa Koussa, attended the lengthy meeting that also discussed the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire.

Pana 13/03/2011