Zimbabwean president breaks embargo on Libya

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe arrived in Syrte, 450 km east of Tripoli Saturday, by air breaking a United Nations air embargo enforced against Libya since 1992.

The Zimbabwean president is the tenth African leader to breach the air embargo after a summit of the Organization of African Union held last June in Burkina faso unilaterally lifted the embargo on Libya.

Since then, Presidents Idriss Deby (Chad), Ibrahim Bare Mainassara (Niger), Alpha Oumar Konare (Mali), Omar Hassan Al Bashir (Sudan), Blaise Compaore (Burkina), Issaias Afwerki (Eritrea), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Yahya Jammeh (Gambia) and Laurent Kabila (DRC) have all flown to Libya.

Speaking shortly after his arrival, Mugabe said he would discuss a number of African conflicts with Col. Moammar Gaddafi, including the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mugabe later visited the Libyan president at his residence for a first meeting of about two hours on "the latest developments in the situation on the African continent," the Libyan television said.

In his arrival declaration, Mugabe had recalled Libya's strong backing during his country's struggle against "the racist white regime" in the 1970s.

The Zimbabwean leader, who is accompanied by his wife and a strong government delegation, said that Libya had provided funds, training and equipment to freedom fighters in his country which eventually became independent in 1980.