BRUSSELS, April 27: Libyan leader Col Moamer Qadhafi on Tuesday used a rare visit to Europe to present himself as a man of peace, saying Libya was abandoning years of support for armed liberation struggles to work for cooperation and harmony among nations.
Speaking to reporters through an interpreter after talks with senior European Union officials in Brussels, spoke of the evils of colonialism and said that the Mediterranean Sea, which had seen so many conflicts, had now become a symbol of peace.
Wearing a flowing brown robe, a black hat and flanked by female bodyguards, made a 45 minute-long statement which set out his new agenda. "Libya led the liberation movement in the past. It has now decided to lead the peace movement in the world," Col Qadhafi said.
Insisting that he had been unjustly accused of terrorism, the Libyan leader said Libya had done its "historical duty when this required the use of force." "But now the time has come to reap the fruits of the armed struggle...namely peace and stability," he said.
Tripoli, which had taken an independent decision to abandon its programme of weapons of mass destruction had set an example for others to follow, Qadhafi said. "Libya is determined and committed to play a leading role in achieving world peace," he added. Libya is expected to be shortly welcomed into the Euro- Mediterranean dialogue and become part of the EUs drive to build stronger relations with its neighbours.
