Libya's boost to Agriculture

The generous offer by the government of the Great Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to partner with the Ministry of Agriculture in order to boost agriculture in the country is indeed commendable.

The initiative known as the Green Programme, we learnt, is meant to help attain food self-sufficiency in the country. 

To fast track the project, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries, under which Libya sent some tractors to the country last year.

As of now, we know The Gambia has been receiving support from various agricultural missions, including experts from the Republic of China on Taiwan, as well as technical assistance from other countries.

With the signing of this agreement, we hope that the bilateral relations between The Gambia and Libyan Arab Jamahiriya would be further strengthened for the benefit of our two peoples.

It is worth mentioning that over the years, the relations between our two countries have significantly improved with the coming of more Libyan investors to the country, exchange visits among our two leaders and officials, construction of mosques and continuous assistance being offered to communities through the Libyan International NGO known as World Islamic Call Society.

We really appreciate the support of our Libyan brothers, and urge them to continue giving us more support.

Once again, we commend the Libyan leader Brother Muammar Gaddhafi for maintaining relations with The Gambia. As a country, it is important that we maintain cordial ties with oil rich countries like Libya for our mutual benefit, as well as for our own interest.

At this juncture, we must also stress that our relations with any country in the world should be based on mutual interest, trust and respect, no matter what.

As Africans, we must cherish our relations and work together for the development of our peoples.

Meanwhile, we would like to use this opportunity to extend our heartfelt condolence to the government and people of Libya following the tragic accident that took place yesterday in the North African country.

It is sad to note that a passenger plane crashed in Libya, killing more than 100 people on board.

The Airbus A330 crashed on landing at Tripoli airport after a flight from Johannesburg, according to Afriqiyah Airways.

Sixty-one Dutch nationals were among those killed, Dutch tourism board ANWB also said. A Dutch boy was the sole known survivor, the Libyans revealed.

British and South African passengers were also thought to have been on board. The 11 crew were said to be Libyans.

Once more, our heartfelt sympathy goes to all the victims and nations whose citizens were involved.