Italy's Berlusconi arrives in Libya to sign pact (Reuters)
By Salah Sarrar 25 minutes ago
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrived in Libya on Saturday to sign a "friendship pact" under which Italy will pay billions of dollars in compensation for abuses committed during its colonial rule of the North African country.
The accord should remove the latest hurdle to improve ties between Italy and Libya, a major energy producer.
Berlusconi was greeted by government ministers at the airport in the eastern city of Benghazi airport and will meet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi later to sign the pact, Libyan officials said.
Libya accuses Italy of killing thousands of Libyans and driving thousands more from their desert villages and cities on the Mediterranean coast during its 1911-1943 colonial rule.
The deal covers "some billion dollars" in compensation and $5 billion in investments over 25 years, including the construction of a highway across Libya from the Tunisian border to Egypt, according to officials in Rome.
It also involves a project to clear mines dating back to the colonial era.
Italy expects in return to win energy contracts and for the Tripoli government to toughen security measures to stem the flow of illegal migrants, including joint maritime patrols.
Italy has had difficult relations with Gaddafi since he took power in 1969. He expelled Italian residents and confiscated their property in 1970.
Rome has backed Tripoli's drive to mend fences with the West, which have improved dramatically since 2003 when Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Libya has also said it would stop pursuing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
On August 14 Libya signed a deal with the United States to settle both countries' claims for compensation for bombings.
