Belgium is dispatching a special envoy to central Africa in an attempt to calm rising tension in the region following the weekend massacre of at least 160 refugees at a UN camp in Burundi.

Mercurial Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi came in from the cold today when he made a VIP visit to EC headquarters in Brussels, declaring his readiness to work with the West peacefully after years of championing armed struggle against it.

Making his first trip to the West in 15 years, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was aiming today to improve relations with the European Union despite lingering charges of human rights abuses by his government.