Spanish PM in Libya to boost ties

Gaddafi has weathered international isolation

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has begun a visit to Libya - the first such trip by a Western leader to the North African state in more than a decade.

Mr Aznar, who was met at the airport in Tripoli by an honour guard and Prime Minister Shokri Ghanem, went on to a dinner hosted by the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

His visit comes just days after the United Nations Security Council voted to lift sanctions imposed on Libya for its involvement in the bombing of a US airliner over Scotland in 1988, which killed 270 people.

Mr Aznar's talks with Colonel Gaddafi are aimed at bolstering relations and commercial ties between the two countries.

Spain has economic interests in Libya and Mr Aznar is expected to sign new trade agreements during his two-day stay.

The visit marks another step in Libya's international rehabilitation after years of diplomatic isolation.

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The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says Spanish officials have indicated that Mr Aznar will work for Libya to rejoin the international community as a country with a positive attitude.

In recent years, Colonel Gaddafi has been keen to end his country's isolation, she says.

Libya needs to attract foreign investment and after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, its leader knows the country has to project a new image.

Spanish officials say Libya now wants to be seen as a country which rejects terrorism.

They say Tripoli has been co-operative with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee, which Spain chairs, and was quick to offer humanitarian aid to the US after the 11 September attacks.

Oil reserves

Our correspondent says Libya is an attractive economic partner to Spain and other European countries.

Its last oil reserves are still under-exploited and US sanctions continue to keep American competitors out.

In May, Libya awarded contracts to Spanish oil companies to explore for oil and gas.

Spain also wants Libya to play a greater role in relations between the European Union and Mediterranean states.