Chadian delegation in Libya may meet rebels

June 20, 2007 (N’DJAMENA) — A Chadian government delegation left Wednesday for Tripoli where it is expected to hold talks with rebel leaders hostile to President Idriss Deby, a government source said.

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has invited both sides to talks in Tripoli, where rebel leaders met him on Tuesday.

Infrastructure Minister Adoum Younousmi, the Chadian government number two, is leading the delegation, the source said.

“We are going to try to have a discussion with our brothers (the rebels) in order to find a definitive solution to end a war which has done so much damage to our country,” a delegation member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The heads of the main armed opposition groups were received on Tuesday by Kadhafi, who urged them “of the necessity to find a political resolution to the conflict,” a spokesman for the rebels, Ali Izzo, told AFP by telephone.

He said the Libyan leader “has expressed a wish to play a role in the rapprochement between the armed opposition and the authorities” and had proposed that the rebel movements transform themselves into political parties.

Izzo said however that no meeting with the government delegation had been scheduled, “but it’s not being ruled out either”.

The rebel delegation includes Mahamat Nouri, head of the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), Timane Erdimi, head of the Movement of the Forces for Change (RFC) and Hasssan Saleh al-Djinedi, leader of the Chadian National Concorde (CNT).

Chad has accused neighbouring Sudan of supporting a coalition of rebel movements seeking the overthrow of Deby.

(AFP)