+ GMT Select Your Local Time London GMT Johannesburg Lagos Cairo Accra Mogadishu Abuja Cape Town Free Town Addis Ababa Austria Bahrain Bangladesh Australia Sydney Austria Bahrain Bangladesh Belgium Brazil East Brazil West Canada Toronto Canada Pacific China Beijing Cuba Cyprus Denmark Egypt Ethiopia Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Hon Kong Hungary India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kenya Korea (Rep. of) Kuwait Lebanon Liberia Libya Luxemburg Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Mexico City Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Paraguay Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Moscow Russia Vladivostok Saudi Arabia Senegal Sierra Leone Singapore South Africa Spain Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Trinidad And Tobago Tunisia Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom USA Washington USA San Francisco USA New York USA Hawaii Venezuela Yemen Zaire Kinshasa Zaire Katanga Zambia Zimbabwe STO
[Pacific Sighting] See Makkah Clock
EsinIslam
Web
Site Explore
Exclusive Search
Broadcasters
Helping Shops
Home | Explore | Broadcasters | Media | Donations | About Us | Contact | Fatwa | Our Sheikh
Save
Gaddafi Meets Obama At G8 Summit In Italy: Encounter Of Handshakers
10 July 2009
The Libya leader Muammar Gaddafi who is also the current President of the African Union met Thursday night with United States President Barack Obama. Both leaders shook hands and exchanged words of greetings. This is the first time that the Leader Muammar Gaddafi to meet a US president for the last 39 years. Political differences have always characterized Libya-US bilateral relations that led sometimes to even military confrontations between the two states. Gaddafi's foreign policy that is based on pro-liberation struggle against colonialism and imperialism was not welcomed by Washington. Later, both sat at the same dining table for dinner hosted by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi whose country is hosting the annual Group of Eight (G8). Leader Gaddafi is attending the summit as president of the African Union. He is also there to present the views of the growing stronger African Union with regards to regional and international issues. Relations between Libya and the United States have repeatedly see-sawed over the past 30 years. Diplomatic relations were broken in 1981 and only restored in 2004 after Libya renounced its quest for weapons of mass destruction. However, relations remain strained mainly over compensation for terrorism victims in the 1980s. The dispute was put to rest at the end of 2008 when Libya gave $1,5-billion in compensation to US victims of the Lockerbie attack, which caused 270 deaths in 1988, and an attack on a Berlin nightclub where US soldier used to go. Three were killed in that attack. Obama has triggered a raging debate in the United States by saying that Washington should be prepared to speak with its enemies. A handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at an international summit in April attracted great attention. Senior White House official Denis McDonough shrugged off Obama's handshake with Gaddafi, remarking that relations between the two countries had been restored. "I don't know that he's given much consideration to whose hand he will shake or whose hand he will not shake. I'm confident, knowing the President, that presented with the opportunity to greet any of the leaders, that he'll do that," he said. US, Libya Dialogue to Respect Each Side's History, Culture Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation Mr. Mussa Kussa held talks on Wednesday in Tripoli with the US ambassador Gene A. Cretz. Gretz reiterated his government's desire to strengthen bilateral relations with Great Jamahiriya, Libyan news agency JANA reported on Wednesday. Both parties stressed the importance of the continuation of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries in all fields. It was also agreed that such dialogue would be based on the mutual respect of each side's history and culture, JANA reported.
EsinIslam.Com
Sign In Password