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| Africa North |
| Gaddafi wooos his 'darling black African woman' |
| 2008-09-07 |
| THE heart of many homes is the kitchen and that is where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi hosted Condoleezza Rice for a Ramadan meal this week, a symbolic gesture to try to end decades of enmity. The casual setting in a small kitchen on the compound bombed by US warplanes in 1986 was unusual for the first trip by a US secretary of state in 55 years that was aimed at kicking off a new chapter in relations. But it also underlined Mr Gaddafi's attempt to bring a more personal touch - including a gift to Dr Rice of a locket with his picture in it and a ring - to start a better relationship with the US. Dr Rice's gift was a china plate with the US seal and her signature on it. Dr Rice's eight-hour visit had been expected to produce surprises from the unpredictable Libyan leader once referred to by President Ronald Reagan as the "mad dog" of the Middle East. The drama was tipped to unfold in a tent on the sprawling, fortified compound in Tripoli but Mr Gaddafi opted for a deliberately low-key approach with the top US diplomat he refers to as "Leezza" and "my darling black African woman" in media interviews. The first recorded public encounter was in a bland reception room, unadorned by flags or any other diplomatic trappings and where the chaos came from jostling photographers and journalists trying to record the awkward moment as Dr Rice's staff scrambled over furniture to get into the room. Mr Gaddafi's appearance was regal rather than military and he wore a crisp, white robe with a green brooch in the shape of Africa, shedding his trademark dark glasses. The female bodyguards he sometimes surrounds himself with were not there. In the public eye he chose small talk about the weather and inquired about Dr Rice's health. But after the cameras had left, Dr Rice said the two immediately got down to business, talking about a wide range of issues from Sudan to the Middle East. Dr Rice, who later visited Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, described her meeting with Mr Gaddafi as a "fairly normal diplomatic exchange" that had got off to a good start but that the relationship was still in its infancy. "We have a long way to go. I think it's not surprising to anyone that the United States and Libya don't always agree on every issue," she said. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 yes, that really is the headline on the Independent. No sexism there. And as for the locket and ring - sheesh. Come on State Dept - someone should have lost their head simply due to the fact that such a insulting gesture to one of the most powerful women in the world simply should not have happened. |
| Posted by: Betty Grating2215 2008-09-07 23:33 |