Condoleezza Rice headed for Tripoli on Friday in the first trip by a United States Secretary of State to Libya in more than half a century.

The U.S. State Department said the trip "signifies a new chapter in... bilateral relations," and, in a reflection of the stormy relationship between the two countries over the past 30 years, conducted a series of briefings explaining Rice's visit with Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi to the American public.

These included a news conference by C. David Welch, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, and an outline by other top officials detailing the U.S. view of Libya's dismantling of weapons of mass  destruction and its "renunciation of terrorism."

John Foster Dulles visited the country in 1953, six months after Libya declared its independence. Relations began to deteriorate in the late 1960s over U.S. policies in the Middle East, with the process intensifying after Gaddafi and other military officers seized power in 1969.

The U.S. withdrew its ambassador in 1972, Libya was designated as a "state sponsor of terrorism" in 1979, and relations were fully restored only after the U.S. rescinded the designation in 2006.

American businesses interested in trade with Libya visited Gadaffi recently, but some activists are concerned that money and counter-terrorism efforts will take precedence over human rights. In a statement released this week, Human Rights Watch called on Rice to press Gadaffi to release political prisoners and end the use of torture.

For his part, Gadaffi appears to be an admirer of Rice. Reuters quoted him as saying in an interview with Al Jazeera last year: "I support my darling black African woman... I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders... Yes, Leezza, Leezza, Leezza... I love her very much. I admire her, and I'm proud of her, because she's a black woman of African origin."

Source: allAfrica.com