NATO extends mission in Libya by 90 Days; South Africa discusses peace deal with al Gaddafi; International Commission of Inquiry submits its findings, accuses Libyan Government forces of war crimes
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  • In a significant development, NATO’s member states unanimously agreed to extend NATO's mission in Libya by a further 90 days. NATO's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced at the end of the meeting in Brussels that they were determined to continue the operation to “protect the people of Libya”. It was also reported that, besides NATO members, the talks also included ambassadors from the five non-NATO countries that are currently participating in the Libya campaign, namely; Jordan, Qatar, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.1

    Meanwhile, South African President Jacob Zuma, in his capacity as a representative of the African Union, held discussions with the Libyan leader Muammar al Gaddafi in Tripoli regarding a peace deal. However, at the end of the six-hour talks with Libyan leader, President Zuma made a little headway towards brokering a Libya peace deal with the Libyan officials saying that there were no signs of the breakthrough. Even Jacob Zuma did not say whether Gaddafi was ready to step down, a key demand of the rebels. Nevertheless, he said that the meeting was productive as Gaddafi was ready for a truce and wanted a ceasefire including an end to NATO bombing. 2

    In other developments, reports noted that International Commission of Inquiry, a panel ordered by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate into the human rights abuses in Libya, submitted its findings to the 47-member body in Geneva. In the report, the commission has accused the Gaddafi forces of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during their crackdown on opposition forces. The team, led by Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian jurist and war crimes expert, called on the Government to immediately stop acts of violence and to conduct “exhaustive, impartial and transparent” investigations into all alleged violations. 3

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