Maputo — Libyan leader Col Muammar Qaddafi arrived in Maputo on Sunday afternoon for a two day visit to Mozambique.
He travelled overland from Swaziland, and was met at the border town of Namaacha by Foreign Minister Leonardo Simao. The Libyan motorcade contained dozens of luxury jeeps, and Qaddafi himself made most of the journey in an open-top Mercedes.
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano greeted the Libyan leader in Maputo's Independence Square, outside the City Hall.
Qaddafi drove into the square waving, with two clenched fists, from the top of his Mercedes.
The welcoming crowd was about 500 strong, and was overwhelmingly moslem. Many were carrying placards with Qaddafi's picture: most had captions in Arabic, but some were in English, calling Qaddafi "Leader of the World Islamic People's Leadership".
Qaddafi and Chissano stood to attention as the Libyan and Mozambican national anthems were played, and a 21 gun salute was fired.
Qaddafi then reviewed a guard of honour, and watched several cultural groups perform traditional dances.
Inside the city hall, Qaddafi received the symbolic key to the city from the mayor, Artur Canana, who described him as a "tireless fighter for the freedom of the people of ?libya, of Africa, and of the world in general".
En route from Namaacha, Qaddafi made three unscheduled stops to greet charcoal sellers, market vendors, and local peasants. On one of these occasions, he got into a conversation with a woman living by the side of the road. By sheer coincidence she happened to be a local delegate of the main opposition party, the former rebel movement Renamo, and took the opportunity to denounce the government.
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Members of his entourage then handed out 100 dollar bills to everyone in the immediate vicinity.
Qaddafi and Chissano hold official talks on Sunday afternoon, and in the evening Chissano will offer a state banquet in honour of his Libyan guest.
On Monday, Qaddafi is scheduled to lay a wreath at the Monument to the Mozambican Heroes, where the founder of Frelimo, Eduardo Mondlane, and Mozambique's first president, Samora Machel, are buried.
He will then visit a part of the city where victims of the catastrophic floods of February 2000 have been resettled. Libya was one of the countries that provided immediate aid to Mozambique cope with the humanitarian crisis provoked by the floods.
