Diplomacy takes centre stage in Libyan conflict

TRIPOLI, Apr 20 (AFP): A high-ranking African Union delegation was due in Libya on Sunday to present a blueprint for an end to the current crisis as plans for a new constitution were unveiled by parliament. And on the ground, NATO destroyed key ammunition stockpiles and armoured vehicles in air strikes across the country. African Union mediators on Sunday renewed their appeal for "an immediate end to all hostilities" and proposed a transition period to adopt reforms in the insurrection-hit country. The panel of five African leaders, headed by Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, decided to go along with a roadmap adopted in March which calls for an end to hostilities, "diligent conveying of humanitarian aid" and "dialogue between the Libyan parties", it said in a statement. They were due to meet Kadhafi in Tripoli and leaders of the rebellion in Benghazi later on Sunday. A draft constitution under preparation for four years will be submitted to the Libyan people at the end of the crisis, the head of parliament said. Mohamed Zwei, head of the General People's Congress, said: "The draft was given to us recently. We have a legal committee that must examine the text before submitting it to the Basic People's Comittees." He was referring to the state-sponsored grassroots organisations that are supposed to be the fount of constitutional authority under veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi's theory of people's power.