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Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (2ndR) waves to the media as he arrives for a meeting with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Dec. 12, 2007. Sarkozy defended Gaddafi's visit to France on Wednesday, saying the Libyan leader was not considered a dictator in the Arab world. Gaddafi's first visit to France in 34 years has been accompanied by the signing of several business deals, and human rights groups and the opposition Socialists have accused Sarkozy of putting commercial deals before human rights.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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PARIS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a series of contracts worth around 10 billion euros (14.7 billion U.S. dollars) with visiting Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi here late Monday.
The two sides agreed to build a civilian nuclear
reactor in Libya to desalinize sea water and exploit Libya's uranium riches,
Sarkozy's office said.
The Libyan side will buy 21 aircraft from France's
Airbus worth some 3.2 billion euros (4.7 billion dollars). French presidential
sources also said Libya was planning to buy 14 Rafale fighter jets and 35
military helicopters in a deal worth 4.5 billion euros (6.6 billion dollars).
Sarkozy is the first western leader to invite Gaddafi
for a visit since the 1980s and he described the contracts as "rewards for
Tripoli's improved behavior."
But the visit was not without controversy. France's
minister for human rights Rama Yade distanced herself from the trip, which began
on the UN's Human Rights Day, criticizing Libya for using torture in its jails
and its lack of a free press.
There were also 80 arrests of both supporters and
opponents of Gaddafi for demonstrating without authorization outside the hotel
where he is staying.
The Libyan leader is expected to stay in France for a
five-day period starting Monday, during which he will meet members of the
National Assembly, women representatives from France's immigrant-concentrated
suburbs and give a speech at the UN culture organization UNESCO.
