Qaddafi in town

---

LIBYAN leader Muammar Qaddafi arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a three-day visit that began with talks with President Hosni Mubarak. In press statements following the presidential talks, presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad told reporters that developments in Sudan offered a prominent focus for the Mubarak and Qaddafi talks. The two leaders, Awwad said, examined the continuing conflict in Darfur and joint Arab-African efforts aimed at containing it, as well as the growing tension between Sudan and its Western neighbour Chad. Mubarak and Qaddafi, Awwad added, committed themselves to helping Khartoum and Ndjamena ease tension. He added that they also committed continued Egyptian and Libyan support to efforts to reconcile Khartoum and the Darfur rebel forces.

Qaddafi and Mubarak examined ways to boost bilateral relations especially in trade, investment and labour recruitment. Awwad added that Mubarak approached his guest on a potential reconciliation scheme Cairo has been trying to promote between Qaddafi and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia ahead of the Arab summit, scheduled for March in Damascus. The Libyan and Saudi leaders had a serious fallout immediately prior to the war in Iraq, during a summit hosted by Cairo in Sharm El-Sheikh. The two argued in an open exchange over the responsibility of entertaining the heavy presence of Western, especially American, troops in the Arab world, especially in the oil-rich Gulf zone.

During talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, Qaddafi also discussed the possibilities of Arab reconciliation.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, President Mubarak made an unprecedented statement to mark the beginning of the New Year, pledging continued efforts to promote prosperity and social welfare.