Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and several government officials left for Libya on Wednesday to hold discussions about the supply of fuel to the country, state radio said.
”Negotiations with Libyan authorities are expected to centre on the provision of more fuel to Zimbabwe,” the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Libya supplied Zimbabwe with 70% of its fuel needs before the supply line was cut after Zimbabwe failed to keep its side of a bargain to supply Libya with sugar, tobacco and beef in return.
Since then fuel of all types has been critically short here. But the government this month claimed that the fuel deal had been resumed, and that Libya was going to continue supplying Zimbabwe with fuel at the end of June.
The radio said Mugabe was leading ”a high-powered delegation” to the north African country, and that he would hold talks with President Moammer Gadaffi ahead of the African Union summit due to take place next month.
Zimbabwe has been experiencing erratic fuel supplies for the past three years due to a shortage of foreign currency needed to import it.
The situation has become worse in recent months, with most fuel stations unable to serve the scarce commodity.
The Zimbabwe government has come up with restrictions to try and curb the sale of existing scarce supplies on the black market at exorbitant rates.
On Tuesday it banned motorists from carrying fuel in containers, and on Wednesday it said that public transporters would now have to obtain fuel using coupons. – Sapa-AFP