Kampala — THE Libyan government has dismissed reports that President Muamar Gadaffi is supporting efforts to bring down President Yoweri Museveni.

"Reports that Gadaffi is against Museveni are false, said Libyan ambassador Abdallah Bujeldain on Tuesday night at Serena Hotel. "They are aimed at destroying our relationship.

"There is an excellent relationship between President Museveni and President Gadaffi, and they are increasingly becoming friendly. The two leaders are bound by a revolutionary relationship," the envoy explained.

He made the remarks during celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the Libyan revolution that brought Gadaffi to power.

Museveni had accused his Libyan counterpart of using the cultural leaders in Uganda to undermine him.

The President reportedly told Buganda MPs last month that Gaddafi was fighting him because of their fall-out at the 2007 AU summit in Accra, Ghana, when he refused to support him to become the first African president.

The two leaders, however, met in New York last week and agreed in a statement that cultural leaders should not get involved in politics.

The Libyan ambassador said his country had invested $600m (sh1.2 trillion) in Uganda and planned to undertake more investments in the areas of banking, textile, oil and coffee.

He also hailed Museveni for sending soldiers to Somalia as part of the AU peacekeeping force.

On the split in the Muslim community in Uganda, the ambassador appealed to both factions to unite and forget their differences.

"The Gadaffi Mosque was not built for one faction. It was built for all Muslims," he said, adding that the request to build the mosque came from Museveni.

At the celebrations, the deputy Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, appealed to the Libyan government to help Uganda in conserving nature.

"The way your government has turned formerly desert areas into green areas amazes us. Although Uganda is gifted by nature, we take our nature for granted," Kadaga said.