Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The Last Farewell: Blair on His Valedictory Tour of Africa. Defence Contracts with Gadaffi as Britain Puts Commercial Interests Above Security

Yes, yes, Tone, we all love you. Now you can go and spend more time with your family. Your children await you! By the way, if you need some help with the removal expenses, I'm sure that there's a rich person out there, dying to be rid of you, one from 'The Sunday Times' Rich List no doubt, ready and willing to help you with them! Who knows? He might pick up even the whole tab to make it easier for you to go that much more quickly! - Mark Alexander

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Photo of Blair cosying up to Gaddafi courtesy of Al Jazeera
AL JAZEERA: The British prime minister has hailed his country's "transformed" relations with once-isolated Libya as the two sides unveiled energy and military deals.

Tony Blair met Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, in his hometown of Sirte at the start of his farewell three-nation African tour seeking to build support on Darfur and climate change.

"The relationship between Britain and Libya has been completely transformed in these last few years," he said.

Blair, accompanied by his wife, Cherie, also met the Libyan prime minister, al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, and families of Libyan children infected with HIV.

Large defence contracts

Al-Mahmoudi said Libya would buy British missiles and air defence systems, in what would be the largest British defence sale to the former outcast state since an international arms embargo on it ended in 2004. Blair hails transformed Libya ties (more)

Mark Alexander