Seif al-Islam Gaddafi says that western imperialists and allied media are attempting to distort the actual political situation inside the North African state of Libya. Gaddafi spoke to press agencies saying the reports of rights violations are false. a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's government has authorized Venezuela to select countries for an effort to mediate an end to Libya's crisis and to coordinate the effort, Venezuela's foreign
minister said Friday.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said he received a message from his
Libyan counterpart authorizing Venezuela to "take all measures
necessary to select the members and coordinate their participation in
that dialogue."
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who calls Gadhafi a friend and ally, has proposed creating a group of "friendly countries" to help mediate in the conflict.
Gadhafi's opponents in Libya, however, have shown no willingness to
negotiate as long as he remains in power.
Countries including the U.S. and Italy also have been cool to Chavez's proposal.
The idea won support Friday from the foreign ministers of Cuba,
Ecuador and Bolivia as well as from other officials representing
Nicaragua, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They joined
Maduro in Caracas for a meeting of nations belonging to the
Venezuela-led Bolivarian Alternative bloc, or ALBA.
Chavez read a statement Friday night in which the group condemned
attempts at "intervention" in Libya by other countries and called for
a cease-fire.
Chavez accused the United States and its allies of trying to use
events in Libya to take control of its oil reserves. He warned that if
there is a bigger conflict in North Africa, "those flames could reach
Europe."
Support for the mediation proposal by Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador and
Bolivia shows "how important the ALBA is for this world of today,
which before the silence of the world has been left as the voice,"
Chavez said. He said time is of the essence in creating a "working
group of coordination with other countries."
"We must make a very great effort. We cannot lose a day," he said.
Chavez accused news media of presenting a distorted view of events in Libya. He did not discuss the Libyan government's crackdown on
civilian protesters, which has drawn condemnation from other nations.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez praised Chavez's proposal and called on supporters to work on building "an international movement ... against a NATO military intervention in Libya and in Arab
countries."
Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, said his government
supports Chavez's proposal or any other proposal that would lead to
dialogue and a peaceful outcome of the 2½-week-old uprising.
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