By John Stephen Katende

11^th April 2011

File Photo: Col. Muammar Gaddafi

South African President Jacob Zuma has announced that the embattled Libyan Leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi has accepted an African Union peace plan to end the two month conflict in Libya.

After several hours of talks with three other African leaders in Gaddafi’s tent in the capital Tripoli, President Jacob Zuma emerged and the told the waiting media that, “…the brother leader [Col Gaddafi] has accepted the roadmap as presented by us. We have to give the ceasefire a chance”, Zuma emphasised.  Full details of the agreed plan, Zuma said, would be set out in a statement to come later.

Leaked details of the Zuma peace road map

Uganda Correspondent has however learnt that the peace plan has three to four key components.  The first component is a ceasefire between the rebels and the pro-Gaddafi forces.  The second component is for both sides to the conflict to allow a “diligent conveyance of humanitarian assistance” to affected civilians.  The third component is the evacuation of foreign nationals.

The forth, and perhaps most important component of the Zuma peace road map, is that Gaddafi accepted the need for democratic reforms in Libya.  The exact reforms agreed upon are not clear at this stage but Uganda Correspondent understands they include “a transition to democracy”.

Reacting to the news however, Guma al-Gamaty, a representative of the Libyan opposition, told the BBC that they would look carefully at the AU plan.  He was however quick to add that any deal that would see Gaddafi and his sons retain power in Libya would be unacceptable to the Libyan rebels.

Composition and next step for the Zuma Delegation

After meeting Gaddafi, the Zuma team, which included President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, and Uganda’s State Minister for International Affairs Henry Okello Oryem said it will now head to Benghazi to talk to the anti-Gaddafi rebel leadership.

By press time, NATO, the organisation in charge of the allied assault on Gaddafi, was yet to react to the developments.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.