Arab League chief plans Libya trip to urge Gadhafi to rethink

CAIRO, Egypt -- The Arab League chief will visit Libya within the next 24 hours hoping to persuade Col. Moammar Gadhafi's government to reconsider its decision to withdraw from the pan-Arab organization, his spokesman said Friday.

Libya announced Thursday it was pulling out of the 22-member league, citing its "inefficiency" in dealing with the crises over Iraq and the Palestinians.

Egypt's Middle East News Agency quoted Arab League spokesman Hesham Youssef as saying the visit Saturday by Amr Moussa followed Libya's notice expressing its intention to withdraw from the league.

Youssef said Moussa was hopeful that Libya would reconsider its decision.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher also urged Libya to reconsider its move. Gadhafi has been sharply critical of an Arab League initiative offering peace to Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from occupied Arab territories.

After the initiative was formalized at a summit in Beirut, Lebanon, earlier this year, Gadhafi publicly urged the "the Arab street" to distance itself from "crippled" Mideast regimes, and called on the league to hold an emergency summit to cancel the Beirut initiative.