This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7589557.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Italy seals Libya colonial deal | Italy seals Libya colonial deal |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has signed an agreement to pay Libya $5bn as part of a deal to resolve colonial-era disputes. | Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has signed an agreement to pay Libya $5bn as part of a deal to resolve colonial-era disputes. |
| Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi said the settlement signed in the city of Benghazi opened the door to partnership between the two states. | Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi said the settlement signed in the city of Benghazi opened the door to partnership between the two states. |
| Mr Berlusconi said the deal, which sees the money being released over 25 years, ended "40 years of misunderstanding". | Mr Berlusconi said the deal, which sees the money being released over 25 years, ended "40 years of misunderstanding". |
| Libya was occupied by Italy in 1911 before becoming a colony in the 1930s. | Libya was occupied by Italy in 1911 before becoming a colony in the 1930s. |
| The former Ottoman territory became an independent country in 1951. | The former Ottoman territory became an independent country in 1951. |
| This is the first African country to be compensated by a former colonial master, the BBC's Rana Jawad reports from Benghazi. | This is the first African country to be compensated by a former colonial master, the BBC's Rana Jawad reports from Benghazi. |
| The question is, she adds: will this latest move set precedents for other former African countries to follow suit? | The question is, she adds: will this latest move set precedents for other former African countries to follow suit? |
| Coastal motorway | Coastal motorway |
| Mr Berlusconi explained that $200m would be paid annually over the next 25 years through investments in infrastructure projects, the main one being a coastal motorway between the Egyptian and Tunisian borders. | Mr Berlusconi explained that $200m would be paid annually over the next 25 years through investments in infrastructure projects, the main one being a coastal motorway between the Egyptian and Tunisian borders. |
| The headless statue was displayed when the two leaders met | The headless statue was displayed when the two leaders met |
| There will also be a colonial-era mine clearing project. | There will also be a colonial-era mine clearing project. |
| As a goodwill gesture, Italy also returned an ancient statue of Venus, the headless "Venus of Cyrene", which had been taken to Rome in colonial times. | As a goodwill gesture, Italy also returned an ancient statue of Venus, the headless "Venus of Cyrene", which had been taken to Rome in colonial times. |
| The settlement was a "complete and moral acknowledgement of the damage inflicted on Libya by Italy during the colonial era", the Italian prime minister said. | The settlement was a "complete and moral acknowledgement of the damage inflicted on Libya by Italy during the colonial era", the Italian prime minister said. |
| "In this historic document, Italy apologises for its killing, destruction and repression against Libyans during the colonial rule," Col Gaddafi said for his part. | "In this historic document, Italy apologises for its killing, destruction and repression against Libyans during the colonial rule," Col Gaddafi said for his part. |
| The agreement was signed in the Benghazi palace which once housed the Italian colonial administration, Reuters news agency reports. | The agreement was signed in the Benghazi palace which once housed the Italian colonial administration, Reuters news agency reports. |
| Rome and Tripoli have spent years arguing over compensation for the colonial period. | Rome and Tripoli have spent years arguing over compensation for the colonial period. |
| Mr Berlusconi's one-day trip was his second since June when illegal immigration from Africa to Europe was the key issue of talks. | Mr Berlusconi's one-day trip was his second since June when illegal immigration from Africa to Europe was the key issue of talks. |
| Italy has been swamped by thousands of African migrants trying to reach its shores by boat. | Italy has been swamped by thousands of African migrants trying to reach its shores by boat. |
| Libya has come in from the diplomatic cold since 2003 when it abandoned efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. | Libya has come in from the diplomatic cold since 2003 when it abandoned efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. |
| Next week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to make the first high-ranking American visit to Libya since 1953. | Next week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to make the first high-ranking American visit to Libya since 1953. |
| Advertisement | |
| Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi shake hands |