Arab foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the latest developments in Libya, the Arab League said on Tuesday. In statements to the press today, Hesham Youssef, head of the Arab League secretary-general's office, said the decision comes in response to a request by some Arab states and discussions held by Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. T he meeting will examine the procedures to be adopted by Arab states to protect the Libyan people, he said. Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday discussed the recent developments in Libya and expressed their rejection of foreign intervention in Libya. Arab Gulf states called for Friday's meeting to be held after the security situation deteriorated considerably in Libya as a result of the attacks launched by the Libyan army against Libyan revolutionaries calling for the ouster of Muammar Qadhafi. As the anti-regime protests enter their fourth week, the Arab League is coming under fire for the weak position it has taken as the Libyan crisis escalates. In February, The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) called on Moussa to condemn Arab leaders who are killing and intimidating people who aspire to democracy and freedom. In a statement, ANHRI said Moussa should take at least a little of his time to denounce Arab leaders' oppression, and clearly express his rejection of the current events in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. Mohamed ElBaradei, political reformist and former IAEA chief, severely criticized the Arab League for its weak stance on the Libyan crackdown on protesters. Using his account on Twitter, ElBaradei said the credibility of the Arab League had been eroded and there is a need to build a new Arab bloc. "The lives we're losing in Libya are a disgrace to every Arab," he added. Then Moussa finally broke his silence and called for an end to bloodshed and to all kinds of violence in Libya. On Monday, Moussa urged Qadhafi to immediately engage in reconciliation with his people if he wishes to stay in office, while at the same time asserting that Libyans are unlikely to accept reconciliation. The Libyan regime is using force to quell protests calling for the regime's ouster, in a violent crackdown that is said to have led to the killing of approximately 7000 people.
