Gaddafi hails energy cooperation with Moscow

He told reporters Saturday that his talks with President Dmitry Medvedev will be dominated by economy and foreign policy issues and said Libya had "opened its doors" to Russian business.

Gaddafi said Tripoli's relations with Moscow in Soviet times were defined by military and political ties, and "civil cooperation" with Russia should be expanded, AP reported.

Gaddafi, whose three-day visit began Friday, is expected to visit Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after talks with Medvedev at the Kremlin.

TENT IN KREMLIN GARDEN
Gaddafi has pitched a tent in a Kremlin garden before talks with the Russian leaders.

Located a few meters (yards) from the building where Medvedev has his office, the military-style tent was decorated with North African fabrics and a metal barbecue grill has been set up in front, a Reuters reporter said.

A large, flat-screen television was switched on inside the tent.

Gaddafi, who was born to a Bedouin herdsman in a tent in 1942, frequently greets foreign visitors in a tent next to the ruins of his Tripoli residence, which was destroyed in a bombing raid by U.S. aircraft in 1986.

On a visit to Paris last year for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Gaddafi pitched his tent in the garden of the presidential guesthouse.

Russia is used to accommodating the foibles of visiting heads of state.

In 2001, the Kremlin laid on a massive logistical operation so North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who diplomats say has an aversion to air travel, could make the nine-day journey to Moscow on board his armored train.

Photo: Reuters