Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi arrived in Brussels Tuesday on a historic visit to the headquarters of the European Union (EU).
European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi and Gaddafi were seen to share a limo that drove them to the front of the EU headquarters building, where security staff lined up to ensure Gaddafi's safety.
Outside the EC headquarters building, several hundred Africans sang and danced, shouting "Gaddafi! Gaddafi!"
After holding talks with Prodi, Gaddafi is to meet all European commissioners in the headquarters, and Prodi will host a luncheon in honor of him.
EC spokesman Reijo Kemppinen said Monday that the talks between Prodi and Gaddafi will focus on the Barcelona Process, and the EC expects Gaddafi to confirm Libya's intention to join the EU's partnership with Mediterranean countries.
The leaders will also discuss peace and stability in Africa and the Mediterranean region, as well as economic reform of Libya, Kemppinen said.
"His visit to the Commission marks Colonel Gaddafi's first visit to Europe for many years, preparing the ground for a full normalization of relations between Libya and the European Union," the EC said in a statement on Friday.
Later Tuesday afternoon, Gaddafi will meet EU foreign and security chief Javier Solana. The Libya leader is also expected to hold talks with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt Tuesday evening and address the Belgian Parliament Wednesday.
Gaddafi's European tour is the culmination of months of contacts and political maneuvering, bringing the country in from its long period of isolation, which was imposed after its involvement in the bombing of a Pan AM jet over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
In autumn last year, Gaddafi declared to renounce Libya's weapons of mass destruction program. In February this year at an African Union summit, Gaddafi met Prodi and indicated that Libya had made up its mind to join the Barcelona Process.
Later in March, British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid a landmark visit to Libya and held talks with Gaddafi. Last week, French President Jacques Chirac in principle accepted an invitation to visit Libya at an early date.
Political analysts believe that Gaddafi's visit signals a thaw of the more than decade-long Libyan-European strained relations and will enable Libya to pick up pace to return to the international community.
(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2004)
