From 'mad dog' to ally: Rice brings Gaddafi in from cold

HALF a century of hostilities between the United States and Libya formally ended last night when Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi hosted Condoleezza Rice – the US secretary of state he recently hailed as "my darling black African woman" – for dinner in his ceremonial tent.

HALF a century of hostilities between the United States and Libya formally ended last night when Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi hosted Condoleezza Rice – the US secretary of state he recently hailed as "my darling black African woman" – for dinner in his ceremonial tent.

Their meeting capped the remarkable rehabilitation of the maverick Libyan leader whose relations with the world's superpower hit rock bottom after the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.

His path from pariah to western ally began in 2003 when he took responsibility for the bombing of a US airliner over Lockerbie, which killed 280 people, mostly Americans. Soon after, he declared Libya was surrendering its hitherto secret programmes to build weapons of mass destruction. Ronald Reagan when he was US president memorably branded him "the mad dog of the Middle East".

Washington clearly hopes its embrace of Libya will send a message to Iran and North Korea that they too can benefit from a rapprochement with the West if they mend their ways.

"The relationship has been moving in a good direction for a number of years now and I think tonight does mark a new phase," Ms Rice said after a Ramadan dinner – the meal that breaks the day's fast during the Muslim holy month – at Col Gaddafi's official Bab el-Azizia residence.

"We did talk about learning from the past," she said. "We talked about the importance of moving forward. The United States, I've said many times, doesn't have any permanent enemies."

Ms Rice, 53, was not even born when Libya last received a US secretary of state, in 1953. As Sean McCormack, the state department spokesman, said: "In that period we've had a man land on the Moon, had the internet, the Berlin Wall fall and we've had ten US presidents."

Relations between the countries still face strains on several fronts, from human rights to the resolution of legal claims from terrorist bombings. But last month, American and Libyan officials hammered out a deal on compensation for US and Libyan relatives of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and those of the 1986 bombing of a disco in Berlin used by American servicemen.

The arrangement also includ-ed compensation for relatives of the Libyan victims of the 1986 US air raids on Tripoli and Benghazi. One of the 41 victims was Col Gaddafi's adopted daughter.

Libya finalised the legal arrangements on Wednesday for setting up the fund into which the money will be paid. However, it was understood to be empty as Ms Rice was on her visit, and she has faced some criticism at home for making the trip before Libya has transferred funds into the account.

Col Gaddafi called Ms Rice "my darling black African woman" last year. He added: "I admire and am proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders … I love her very much."