By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Mexico City: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has proposed the inclusion of former US president Jimmy Carter in a peace mission to Libya.
Opponents of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are demanding an end to his 42-year rule. Over 2,000 people have been killed in clashes in Libya that began Feb 14.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Carter acted as a mediator in negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the opposition in 2002, helping to resolve a political crisis that threatened to plunge Venezuela into civil war.
“Carter may well become part of the international mission to resolve the situation in Libya,” Chavez said Friday in capital city Caracas.
“This is a man of goodwill, as Fidel Castro has repeatedly said. Moreover, he played a positive role in resolving the situation in Venezuela in 2002,” he said.
Chavez has asked his foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, to contact Carter.
His mediation plan has, however, been criticised by the US and French governments, while Russia and China have spoken out against any political or military intervention in Libya.