ANTANANARIVO, Feb.12 (Xinhua) -- An African Union (AU) special envoy Amara Essy asked Madagascans here on Thursday to solve their internal problem and said that he was ready to give a helping hand.

    Following his meeting with Madagascan President Marc Ravalomanana earlier on Thursday, Amara Essy, former Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the media that Madagascar has an important role to play within the African Union.

    "I came to listen to each other, I am here to help and see howwe can help each other to find solution to the conflict," said Amara Essy, who arrived here early on Thursday.

    The situation prevailing in Madagascar did not leave indifferent to the AU Commission President Jean Ping and the AU President Muammar El-Qaddafi, he added.

    According to the presidential website on Thursday, Amara Essy was here to assess the situation and to see what AU could do to help the island country to get out of the current political crisis.

    Amara Essy also conveyed a message from Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, to Madagascans that what had been happening in Madagascar was an internal problem and it was necessary for Madagascans to take into account of the scheduled AU Summit at the capital city in the coming July.

    Amara Essy said that there were certain conditions in the AU Constitutive Act, including non-recognition of an anti-constitutional change and intervention in the member states affairs in case of crises and possible penalization under certain circumstances such as failure or freezing of diplomatic relations.

    Amara Essy, who was Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from September 2001 to July 2002 and AU Commission Chairman until 2003, was also here in 2002 for mediation in the 6-month stalemate between Marc Ravalomanana and his predecessor Didier Ratsiraka.

    The International community, including the United Nations, the African Union, the Indian Ocean Community and France, rushed to the Indian Ocean island country for mediation between Ravalomanana and the opposition leader Andry Rajoelina.

    UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios, who arrived here last Saturday, postponed his departure and paid his farewell to President Ravalomanana Thursday morning, the presidential website said.

    Amid the international mediation, representatives from the two rival sides, led by Ravalomanana and Rajoelina, held a meeting on Wednesday. No further information concerning the meeting was available by Thursday.

    The French Secretary of State responsible for Cooperation and Francophony, Alain Joyandet, who arrived here on Wednesday as a member of a mediation delegation from the Indian Ocean islands, met Rajoelina Thursday morning.

    He met President Ravalomanana on Wednesday, after which he said that "our message is clear: respect constitution, reject violence, and call for dialogue."

    The current political began last December when Ravalomanana ordered to close down a television and radio owned by Rajoelina, who proclaimed president of the country last Saturday.