Ghaddafi Visits Mozambique

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 15, 2002

Ghaddafi Visits Mozambique

Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi arrived in Maputo Sunday afternoon for a two-day visit to Mozambique.

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Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi arrived in Maputo Sunday afternoon for a two-day visit to Mozambique.

Ghaddafi, escorted by dozens of armored cars, came from Swaziland overland, and was met at the border town of Namaacha by Mozambican Foreign Minister Leonardo Simao.

Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano greeted the Libyan leader in Maputo's Independence Square, outside the City Hall.

The welcome crowd was about 500 strong, and was overwhelmingly Muslim. Many were carrying placards with Ghaddafi's picture: most had captions in Arabic, but some were in English, calling Ghaddafi"Leader of the World Islamic People's Leadership."

Ghaddafi and Chissano stood to attention as the Libyan and Mozambican national anthems were played, and a 21 gun salute was fired.

Ghaddafi then reviewed a guard of honor, and watched several cultural groups perform traditional dances.

Inside the city hall, Ghaddafi received the symbolic key to the city from the Mayor, Artur Canana, who described him as a "tireless fighter for the freedom of the people of Libya, of Africa,and of the world in general."

En route from Namaacha, Ghaddafi made three unscheduled stops to greet charcoal sellers, market vendors, and local peasants.

Members of his entourage then handed out 100 US dollar bills to everyone in the immediate vicinity.

Ghaddafi and Chissano will hold official talks Sunday afternoon and evening. Chissano will offer a state banquet in honor of his Libyan counterpart.

Ghaddafi is scheduled to lay a wreath Monday at the Monument to the Mozambican Heroes, where the founder of Frelimo, Eduardo Mondlane, and Mozambique's first president, Samora Machel, are buried.

He will then visit a part of the city where victims of the catastrophic floods of February 2000 have been resettled. Libya was one of the countries that provided immediate aid to Mozambique to cope with the humanitarian crisis provoked by the floods.

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