Sarkozy meets Kadhafi as critics call visit a 'farce'
PARIS (AFP) — Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi held one-on-one talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday as the French opposition warned an escalating row over human rights was turning his visit into a "farce".
Arriving in a white limousine, dressed all in black, Kadhafi was welcomed by Sarkozy on the steps of the Elysee Palace in the afternoon.
The two discussed Sarkozy's proposal to form a union of Mediterranean countries, civil nuclear energy and armaments, said Elysee spokesman David Martinon.
Earlier Wednesday, police closed off bridges across the Seine so the Libyan leader could have a barge trip along the river with his "Amazon" women minders standing guard on the deck.
Kadhafi's visit has drawn fierce protests from rights groups, the political left and some members of the ruling right, who accuse Sarkozy of betraying the cause of human rights by welcoming the former pariah.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon defended the visit on Wednesday, saying France "is not selling its soul".
Sarkozy has argued that since Kadhafi has abandoned the sponsorship of terrorism and the development of illegal weapons, France should encourage him further down the path of international respectability.
But after their first meeting on Monday, Kadhafi embarrassed him by denying the French president had raised human rights during their discussions.
Kadhafi went on to deliver a speech accusing France and Europe of depriving immigrants of their full rights, accusing the police of violations against African immigrants in a clear reference to France's riot-hit suburbs.
"Before talking about human rights, you should make sure that immigrants all enjoy these rights in your country," Kadhafi said.
On Wednesday, Sarkozy urged Kadhafi to publicly condemn Tuesday's twin car bombings in Algeria that killed dozens, according to Martinon. Kadhafi later denounced Al-Qaeda "criminals" who claimed responsibility for the attacks.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner -- while continuing to defend the principle of the visit -- lashed out at Kadhafi's comments on human rights, saying they were "pretty pathetic".
Kadhafi's visit follows the release in July of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in Libya on charges of infecting children with HIV/AIDS. Sarkozy's then wife Cecilia helped to negotiate their release.
The French association Lawyers Without Borders said it had filed suit for torture against Kadhafi and five senior Libyan police officers, on behalf of the doctor, Ashraf al-Hazuz.
But the association said it did not expect any action to be taken against Kadhafi, who was ruled immune from prosecution in France in 2001 as a serving head of state.
Opposition lawmakers -- who on Tuesday boycotted a meeting with Kadhafi at the French parliament and accused Sarkozy of "condoning torture" -- rounded on the prime minister again on Wednesday.
Sarkozy "must realise that he has fallen into the trap of an unscrupulous dictator," said former Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal.
"If things carry on this way, this whole visit is going to turn into a farce," warned the Socialist leader in parliament, Jean-Marc Ayrault.
The Paris trip -- Kadhafi's first to the French capital in 34 years -- is his most high-profile foreign visit since he began to rebuild bridges with the United States and Europe four years ago.
Sarkozy has stressed the economic benefits of the visit, which the French government predicts will result in deals worth more than 10 billion euros (14.7 billion dollars), including contracts for Airbus airliners and a nuclear-powered water desalination plant.
A French source close to the talks has said that a "memorandum of understanding" had been signed for Libya's purchase of 14 Rafale planes, 35 helicopters and other military equipment.
The Socialists' Ayrault questioned the 10-billion-euro figure, pointing out that some of the contracts announced on Monday were "already sealed" while others were still "hypothetical".
