afrol News, 18 September - The Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, today in Tripoli (Libya) had an official meeting with the Libyan leader, Muhamar Al Ghadafi, only days after the UN lifted its sanctions against that country. Mr Aznar praised the Libyan leader and emphasised the importance of increasing the commercial relations between Libya and Spain.

Prime Minister Aznar yesterday afternoon arrived in Libya, on what is assumed to be the first official trip of a Spanish government leader to this geographically close country. Additionally, the arrival of Mr Aznar is the first official visit of a head of state to Libya after the UN last week lifted the economic sanctions against the country.

The UN had imposed sanctions on Libya after Mr Ghadafi's government was proven to have ordered several terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, the German discotheque 'La Belle' and a French airliner over Niger. The lifting of the sanctions came about as the Libyan government had reached separate agreements with the relatives of the victims of these attacks.

The main reasons for Mr Aznar's official visit to Tripoli, according to the Spanish diplomacy, are the recent actions of Libya and the development of the country's position in the US-led so-called "war against terrorism" - which is strongly supported by the head of the Spanish government - as well as the issue of immigration and the economic relations between the two countries.

This morning, the two leaders went through with their planned meeting. After the meeting, Prime Minister Aznar told the press in Tripoli of the advanced Libya had made lately, regarding the fight against terrorism, its incorporation to international diplomacy and in the internal reforms that lately had been promoted here.

However, it were the economic relations between the two countries that occupied most of the meeting between Mr Ghadafi and Mr Aznar. The same was reported from the meeting between Mr Aznar and the Libyan Prime Minister, Shiukri M. Ghanem.

During his visit, PM Aznar also held meetings with a group of Spanish business leader who are in Tripoli to study potential investments in the North African country. The Spanish industry already has made significant investments in Libya's still under-exploited oil sector and the timing is the best. The more powerful US oil sector is still barred from investing in Libya due to American legislation and sanctions.

Spain and Libya, along with France, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria and Tunisia, further constitute the so-called "5+5 Dialogue Forum" of the Western Mediterranean, which last year met in Tripoli to discuss and to reach common agreement related to questions of security and economy of common interest.

The foremost issues in the cooperation forums of these countries include immigration, security and the fight against the terrorism. The long term aim of the forum is to secure the stability in the Mediterranean region across the cultural border of Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

Libya so far has been the least integrated country in the Mediterranean region. The rest of North Africa and several Middle Eastern countries have special trade agreements with the European Union (to which Spain belongs) and are now creating a Mediterranean free trade area. There have still not been formal talks on whether to include Libya in this cooperation after its diplomatic isolation now has been ended and Mr Aznar made no comments in that direction while in Tripoli.

By Pablo Gracia

© afrol News

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