President Tito, the veteran Yugoslav president, arrived in Tripoli on Tuesday (18 January) for talks controversial Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

SYNOPSIS: Marshal Tito is carried on his tour, which is due to take him on to Egypt for talks with President Sadat, despite the death of his Prime Minister, Dzemal Bijedic, in a plane crash the previous day. The Yugoslav leader, who planned to stay four days in Libya, was met at Tripoli airport by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, chairman of Libya's Revolutionary Command Council, and Libyan Prime Minister Major Abdel-Salam Jalloud.

Before the 84-year-old Yugoslav leader left for the Middle East, Yugoslav newspapers speculate that President Tito would put his international prestige as a non-aligned leader behind moves to reconvene the Geneva Middle East conference, as a way of bringing about a peaceful settlement. The semi-official newspaper Borba said in a commentary it was time for serous moves to settle the Middle East conflict. Official Yugoslav sources said the leaders would discuss bilateral relations in trade and economic co-operation.

One of Colonel Gaddafi's top ministers was quoted in a news-paper interview recently as saying his government opposed the resumption of the conference, on the grounds that it would achieve nothing.

Libya, the minister said, was ready to place all its economic and military potential at the disposal of the states opposing Israel if peaceful means failed to settle the problem.