Libyans carry food to Jinja

By Nathan Etengu COL. Muammar Gaddafi and his entourage, yesterday carried their own food to Jinja where they toured Bujagali Falls on the River Nile with President Yoweri Museveni. Museveni and his guest also visited the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited and stopped over at the Mabira camping site before driving to Bujagali. At the Bujagali, the two heads of State briefly sat on the river banks viewing the falls before retreating to a tent where they held private discussions for about one-and-half hours. The two heads of state flew to Jinja aboard a military helicopter. They later moved in a convoy of about 50 vehicles, some of them bearing Libyan registration. The entourage had lunch at the Nile Resort Hotel. The two leaders were booked into V.I.P cottages for refreshment purposes before they converged for lunch. At the Bar Lounge, Gadaffi was introduced to the Consular General of the Republic of Djibouti, Mr. Mohammed Majyambere with whom he posed for a photograph. He later sat in the bar lounge to wait for Museveni. Gadaffi who wore a green shirt and brown pair of trousers, walked up and down the balcony and bar lounge for about five minutes before settling down on a sofa where two of his aides talked to him while kneeling down. At one moment, as he waited for Museveni, Gadaffi pulled out a brown handkerchief, covered his mouth and nose, and sat in a resting posture with his head facing up. He remained in the same position for about 15 minutes before Museveni joined him. The two leaders then proceeded for lunch. Gadaffi who did not make any speeches signed a visitor's book in which he commended the Hotel management for their hospitality. "Thank you very much for the hospitality," Gadaffi wrote in Arabic. There was confusion when Gadaffi's aides asked for a pen with green ink with which to sign the visitor's book. The hotel's deputy manager, Mr. Tom Abuto, had to run up and down trying to locate the pen requested by the Libyan leader after failing to get one from among his staff. "I feel so privileged to have been honoured to host the two heads of state. This is a pride for the directors and management of the hotel," Abuto said. Ends