Sarkozy didn't mention rights, says Gaddafi

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Tuesday French President Nicolas Sarkozy did not bring up human rights when they met, contradicting Sarkozy's account and fuelling criticism of the French leader over Gaddafi's visit.

Gaddafi is visiting France for the first time in 34 years, seeking to bolster his international standing after decades as an outcast of the West.

His visit, during which a series of deals with French firms have been signed, has angered the opposition and rights groups, who accuse Sarkozy of sacrificing principles to boost exports.

Sarkozy has retorted that he told Gaddafi at a meeting on Monday that he should do more to improve the human rights situation in Libya, but Gaddafi gave a different account.

"First of all, President Sarkozy and I did not discuss these subjects. We are quite close friends. We cooperate," Gaddafi said in an extract of an interview on France 2 television due to be aired on Tuesday evening.

Gaddafi dined at Sarkozy's official residence on Monday, after which both leaders oversaw the signing of contracts and framework agreements, including one on entering exclusive talks on the purchase of arms from France.

Sarkozy's office said on Monday the deals to be signed with Libya totalled more than 10 billion euros ($14.66 billion), but sources said several of the deals were still being negotiated.

An official at Sarkozy's office said Libya had expressed a "strong intention" to buy 14 Dassault Aviation-made Rafale fighter jets, as well as 35 helicopters, six ships, armored vehicles and air defense radar.

Such a deal would be the first foreign order of Rafales since the jet went on the market eight years ago. The official said the defense hardware deal was worth some 4.5 billion euros.

Tripoli's ties with the West have improved since it scrapped weapons of mass destruction program in 2003, agreed payment for families of victims of bombings of U.S. and French airliners, and released six detained foreign medics in July.