AU Offers Qaddafi Transition Deal

CBS News reports:

(CBS/AP)  Updated 1:51 p.m. ET

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - A top African Union official on Friday called for a transition in Libya that would lead to democratic elections, and a Libyan government delegation said they were ready to implement a plan laid out by the AU.

The Libyan delegation, representing leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi, met with five African heads of state in Ethiopia's capital to find a solution to the violence that has roiled the North African nation.

The delegation said in a statement that Libya's government is committed to a cease-fire and that it demanded an end to air attacks and a naval blockade carried out by the United States and other Western forces.

The Libyan group said they were ready to implement a "road map" envisioned by the AU that would meet "the aspirations of the Libyan people in a peaceful and democratic manner."

Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi, a former Libyan prime minister and a member of the delegation, said Friday that violence in Libya is being carried out by "extremists" and foreign intervention.

"We are ready to discuss what the Libyan people want," he said. "What kind of reform do they want? If it is elections we are willing to discuss about the details. We are willing to negotiate with anyone. These are our people. There is no division between the Libyan people; there is a division between extremists and the Libyan people.

The AU did not immediately release a statement, so there was no immediate indication of what that policy plan is.

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