Colonel Muammar Qaddafi was to pitch his tent in Paris yesterday for an official visit that marks the Libyan leader's return to grace, after shedding his rogue image for that of trusted statesman ready to sign off on deals worth billions.
In keeping with Qaddafi's flamboyant persona, his visit is likely to be extravagant -- featuring deals to buy a fleet of Airbus passenger jets and possibly defense equipment, too.
But most symbolic for Libya's new status is France's plan to sell a civilian nuclear reactor to the country, once ostracized as a sponsor of terrorism.
It will be Qaddafi's first trip to France since 1973, though he traveled to Brussels in 2004 to extend an olive branch in a first step toward ending years of isolation.
For French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has made bold symbolism his leadership style, the gains could be multi-fold, from securing the hefty contracts to establishing a firm foothold in what some see as a new El Dorado.
A boost in French-Libyan relations, and a reactor sale, could also send a message to countries such as Iran, in a standoff over its nuclear program, that benefits await those that abide by international rules.
French officials are uncertain of the full program of the man whose official title is "guide of the revolution."
Sarkozy and Qaddafi are to meet twice for talks that are likely to focus on terrorism, and bilateral and strategic ties.
The Philippines yesterday said its coast guard would acquire 40 fast patrol craft from France, with plans to deploy some of them in disputed areas of the South China Sea. The deal is the “largest so far single purchase” in Manila’s ongoing effort to modernize its coast guard, with deliveries set to start in four years, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan told a news conference. He declined to provide specifications for the vessels, which Manila said would cost 25.8 billion pesos (US$440 million), to be funded by development aid from the French government. He said some of the vessels would
CARGO PLANE VECTOR: Officials said they believe that attacks involving incendiary devices on planes was the work of Russia’s military intelligence agency the GRU Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England. Poland last month said that it had arrested four people suspected to be linked to a foreign intelligence operation that carried out sabotage and was searching for two others. Lithuania’s prosecutor general Nida Grunskiene on Tuesday said that there were an unspecified number of people detained in several countries, offering no elaboration. The events come as Western officials say
Hundreds of thousands of Guyana citizens living at home and abroad would receive a payout of about US$478 each after the country announced it was distributing its “mind-boggling” oil wealth. The grant of 100,000 Guyanese dollars would be available to any citizen of the South American country aged 18 and older with a valid passport or identification card. Guyanese citizens who normally live abroad would be eligible, but must be in Guyana to collect the payment. The payout was originally planned as a 200,000 Guyanese dollar grant for each household in the country, but was reframed after concerns that some citizens, including
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
RSS