ennahar 12 July, 2011
Algiers (Algeria) - Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini, visiting Algeria Tuesday pleaded for a "political solution" to the Libyan crisis.
"The political solution is the only urgent alternative for the settlement of the Libyan crisis," said Frattini, during a joint press conference with Mr Medelci.
Frattini added that "the road map of the African Union (AU) will be discussed Friday in Istanbul" at the next meeting of the International Contact Group on Libya, including all the countries participating in the campaign of Nato against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
"Italy is working on it to make (its) contribution to give suggestions for a roadmap that will include the ceasefire between the parties, with the exclusion of Mr Gaddafi and his family who must leave power", he added.
"Then we will work for a Libyan government of national reconciliation (...) so as not to divide Libya into two" said Mr Frattini.
"I believe that Istanbul will be to advance this very important political perspective," he said.
Italy, former colonial power and former close ally of Libya, has been reluctant from the start to the mission of NATO even if it eventually helped by lending its air bases and making available to the alliance its own fighters and several ships.
"The political solution that is conveyed by the proposal made by the African Union has caught our attention," said Medelci on its side, adding that the "Malabo process" of the AU "has the merit of be a collective effort."
Source /Ennaharonline/ M. O.