London: A group set up to guide the international intervention in Libya will hold its first meeting in Qatar next week, officials said Thursday.
Britain`s Foreign Office said the contact group, which includes European powers, United States, allies from the Middle East and a number of international organizations will meet in Doha on Wednesday.
The ministry could not confirm precisely who has been invited to attend. British government officials said the US would be represented, and that the Arab League is also expected to be at the talks.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said last week that he planned to travel to the talks alongside about a dozen other Arab, European and international officials.
The group was established during a summit in London last week to act as the political guide to the NATO-led military operation and humanitarian assistance mission in Libya.
Hague told Britain`s Parliament last week that the panel would "maintain international unity and bring together a wide range of nations in support of a better future for Libya."
Libya`s leader Moammar Gadhafi has been widely excluded from international efforts to broker a peace plan, with rebels insisting that his four-decade rule must end.
Bureau Report
