Gadaffi dodges Chad war topic

Press, 19 August 1983, Page 6

Gadaffi dodges Chad war topic

NZPA-Reuter Tunis The Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, today ends an official visit to Tunisia during which he carefully avoided discussing the Chad conflict and concentrated on North African attempts at closer co-opera-tion and unity. Before the two-day visit began, Tunisian officials had feared that the Libyan head of State might try to drag Tunis into the dispute and force it to take sides between its French and United States allies and its Libyan neighbour. Tunisia has carefully avoided making statements about the conflict so far for fear of antagonising either Paris and Washington, or its Arab neighbours, Algeria and Libya.

Tunisian officials were relieved when Colonel Gadaffi told them on Tuesday that

contact had not been broken with France and when he confirmed that he had recently received an emissary from President Francois Mitterrand, said informed Tunisian sources.

Instead, Colonel Gadaffi emphasised efforts to promote unity between the countries of the Maghreb (North Africa), which he now accepts as a first step towards wider Arab unity. On the second day of his visit, Colonel Gadaffi was able to meet President Habib Bourguiba, whose doctors had advised him to rest because of a cold and throat infection.

The Libyan leader also had a talk with the secre-tary-general of the Arab League, Dr Chedli Klibi, with whom he discussed the Middle East and preparations for the next Arab summit, meeting, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.