On April 10, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, Murad Medelsi, said that Cuba and Algeria hope that hostilities in Libya will cease in the very near future, and the parties will begin a political dialogue. At a press conference held immediately after Murad Medelsi’s meeting with Raul Castro, Special Representative of the President of the State Council of Cuba, and Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Island of Freedom, both sides expressed their concern about the tense and extremely dangerous situation that has currently developed in Libya. Representatives of Cuba and Algeria expressed the hope that in the very near future hostilities in Libya would be stopped, and the warring parties would finally start a constructive dialogue. M. Medelsi said that five state leaders of the African Union Special Committee on Libya had already arrived in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Sunday. Today, Monday, they will head to the eastern city of Benghazi.
According to M. Medelsi, the main task of the AU mission can be considered an early ceasefire, both from the warring Libyan sides and NATO air strikes. The Algerian government fully supports the efforts of the AU mission and looks forward to a successful conclusion of this peacekeeping visit. The Algerian authorities express the hope that the plan for a political settlement of the Libyan issue will be able to ensure the preservation of the sovereignty and also the territorial integrity of the country. As Bruno Rodriguez Parilla noted, Cuba fully and completely approved the opinion of the Algerian government on the Libyan problem. Representatives of the Island of Freedom expressed concern about the civilian casualties in Libya.