NOUAKCHOTT, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- General Ahmed Abdallah, a senior military official of Libya, is on a visit in Mauritania to discuss Nouakchott's participation in the African Union's peacekeeping force, security sources said.

The Libyan general arrived here on Monday for talks with Mauritanian officials on the establishment of inter-African common defense and intervention force in case of conflicts, a mechanism proposed by Libyan leader Moummar Gaddaffi during the last African summit held months ago in Syrte.

For Libya, this force is supposed to help in "peace consolidation on the continent," the Libyan official told local media.

Mauritanians are currently preoccupied by security within their own territory due to the infiltration of Islamic extremists.