From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Mon Sep 08 2008 - 06:08:36 EDT
Gaddafi Warns Rice on Establishing Military Base in Africa
September 08, 2008 11:54 AMTripoli- The Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qathafi warned the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a meeting Friday in Tripoli that any American military bases that might be established on the African continent would be considered by Africans as colonialism.
Africans, Gaddafi told Rice, would reject such military bases.
The warning came as the two discussed regional and international issues of common interest including the plans by the US to establish a major base in Africa, known as Africom.
Rice arrived in Tripoli
Friday evening in the first visit by top American diplomat in over half century.
The Libyan news agency JANA said "on the subject of the American military command, Africom, the Leader warned on any American military direct presence in the content."
"Assuring that Africans will view such military presence as being colonialism and they will reject it," JANA added.
JANA said "on her part, the US Secretary informed the Leader that America was not seeking to establish military bases or military presence in Africa."
On the issue of Palestine, Gaddafi stressed that such Middle East problem could only be solved by the establishment of the state of "Isratine", a state that includes both Palestinians and Israelis who would live together within the borders of Palestine as existed before 1948.
Gaddafi has comprehensively explained such solution in his "White Book" a number of years ago.
At the end of the meeting, Secretary Rice presented to Gaddafi a gift in the form of the official seal of the State Department and he presented her with an Arab music instrument, Oud.
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