Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, both traditional foes of the US and Western powers, will sign eight cooperation agreements today, state media said.
The accords will be signed in Caracas, Venezuela’s ABN news agency said. Venezuelan Ambassador to Tripoli Afif Tajeldine said five agreements have already been signed with Libya, Venezuela’s top African ally, but he did not provide the figures or domain involved.
“Libya is the gateway to Africa for us because it is a country well-known for its socialist policies that plays an important and strategic role for us,” he said.
Qaddafi was on Venezuela’s scenic Isla Margarita, where a two-day summit began on Saturday, bringing together nine South American presidents and some 20 African leaders.
Chavez’s other high-profile guests at the Caribbean resort destination included Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Marking his first visit to Latin America since he came to power 40 years ago, Qaddafi was also set to assist to a military parade today flanked by Chavez and be decorated by Venezuelan authorities, diplomatic sources said.
During his recent travels to Libya, Chavez received a medal commemorating the “40th Anniversary of the Great Revolution of Al Fateh” on Sept. 1. Libya’s official JANA news agency said the decoration was “awarded for the first and only time” as a sign of “thanks and respect” for Chavez’s participation in the “festival of festivals.”
Qaddafi found a warmer welcome in Venezuela for his preferred sleeping quarters — a traditional Bedouin tent — than in New York, where he caused a stir after trying to pitch his olive green encampment at an estate outside Manhattan while he attended the opening of the UN General Assembly.
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