Gaddafi confers with Somali faction leaders, recovers well
Libya-Libya, Politics, 7/8/1998

Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi on Tuesday in Tripoli received three Somali leaders, currently visiting Libya.

Libyan television reported that Gaddafi discussed with Muhammad Ali Mahdi, Hussein Muhammad Aideed and Othman Hassan Ali the situation in Somalia.

The three leaders expressed to Gaddafi their determination to work for salvaging the unity of Somalia.

Ambassador Abdallah Adam, who works as an advisor to the Arab League's secretary-general told ArabicNews.com, The Libyan leader "could not help the Somalis," and accused the three leaders as being behind bloody actions in Somalia saying that their position is not credible after finding out that creating riots was their goal and not stability. "History will not tolerate them," Adam said.

Somali sources accused Gaddafi of exporting weapons to Somalia for the civil war's continuation, stating that the last weapons shipment reached Bidawa on last Friday.

Meanwhile today, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, and the President of Yemen and Tunisia spoke on the telephone with Gaddafi. They congratulated him on the success of surgery he underwent on his leg, carried out by Libyan physicians.

In statements to reporters upon his arrival from Libya, Dr. Mofid Shehab, the Egyptian minister of higher education and scientific research, said that Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi expressed his sorrow over not being able to lead prayers on the occasion of the Prophet Mohammad's birthday, in which he was to call for Muslim unity.

Shehab said Gaddafi informed him that the injury, incurred while the Libyan leader was exercising, cannot be interpreted in any other way -- as several reports in early June claimed that Gaddafi was exposed to an attempted assassination in which he was slightly wounded. Libya denied those reports.

Shehab added that his meeting with Gaddafi was very good, where the colonel was very normal and expressed his good hopes in this dear occasion to all Muslims.

Previous Stories:
  Somalia: Dryness threatens starvation   (7/4/1998)
  AL calls on Arab states to import Somali meats   (6/30/1998)
  Libya denies Gaddafi exposed to assassination   (6/12/1998)

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