Africa News
SAfrica ruling party regrets "gruesome killing" of Gaddafi
Oct 21, 2011, 12:20 GMT
Johannesburg - South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, expressed regret on Friday over the 'gruesome killing' of long-time Libyan strongman Moamer Gaddafi.
'It is the view of the ANC that this could have been avoided had the African Union roadmap been adopted,' spokesman Jackson Mthembu said, according to the SAPA news agency.
South African President Jacob Zuma had twice unsuccessfully tried to negotiate an AU designed ceasefire between Gaddafi and his opponents.
'A peaceful approach would have saved many lives in Libya if it was given a chance,' Mthembu said, calling on NATO to immediately end its bombing campaign.
The South African government in an earlier statement 'noted' the death of the 69-year-old deposed Libyan leader and called for democratic elections to be held soon in the North African country.
Pretoria had long hesitated to recognize the rebels as Libya's legitimate new rulers, only switching its official diplomatic relations in September, when the AU also did so.
'The South African government sincerely hopes that the latest events will lead to a cessation of hostilities and the restoration of peace,' a statement said.
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