Gaddafi pushes peace offer on first Euro trip in 15 years

ON a turbulent maiden visit to the European Union, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appealed to the West yesterday to seize his offer of peace and not force his country back to the days of the gun and the bomb.

Cheered on by African drummers and chanting supporters who outnumbered human rights protesters, Gaddafi took another step toward international respectability with talks at European Commission's Brussels headquarters on his first visit to Europe since 1989.

European Commission President Romano Prodi hailed Libya's decision to break with its violent past and renounce weapons of mass destruction, and said the EU executive was committed to integrating Tripoli into its Euro-Mediterranean dialogue.