IT was reported on the 11th of June 1998 that a female bodyguard sacrificed her life to save Colonel Maummar Gaddafi from assassination. The beautiful security girl was one of a 40-strong, all-woman unit of personal guards who are trained killers and also claim to be virgins. She threw herself on top of the Libyan leader when rebels opened fire on his motorcade, and died riddled with bullets. Seven other women bodyguards were also seriously wounded. A source said: “Gaddafi was deeply distressed. Aisha, the woman who died, was his top bodyguard.” Gaddafi surrounds himself with handpicked female bodyguards to foil such attacks. All of them swear an oath that they will give their lives for him. They never leave his side, night or day, and he insists they remain virgins.
	There is no shortage of volunteers for what is seen as a prestigious job. A special training college puts recruits through a tough program. Girls who don’t drop out emerge as trained killers, experts with firearms and martial arts. Gaddafi makes the final selection. In 2003 the Libyan authorities dedicated celebrations for the 34th anniversary of Gaddafi’s rise to power to women, paying tribute to their growing role in public life and participation in the armed forces. In his speech to commemorate the anniversary, Colonel Gaddafi urged Libyan women to train for combat and mine their homes to avoid the same fate as women and children killed in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. “Our time has known wars which have gone beyond combat zones to hit homes and other civilian targets,” Gaddafi said.

 “In Baghdad or in Gaza, the victims are mainly women and children. That’s why women should be trained for combat, so that they do not become easy prey for their enemies.

Women should train with all means to confront their enemies.

They should also learn to mine their homes, their cars and all objectives targeted by the enemy,” he added. As the second EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon ended, Col. Muammar Gaddafi flew straight into Paris, France for a five-day visit. The conventional treatment for a visiting head of state is a five-star accommodation and a fleet of limousines. Colonel Gaddafi brought his own tent and camel. Security might consist of some hefty male bodyguards and strategicallyplaced marksmen. The Libyan leader brought 30 blue-uniformed females, all supposedly virgins. Gaddafi raised his fist triumphantly in the air as he arrived at the Elysee Palace, where he was greeted by France President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy extended the invitation after French involvement in the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a doctor who were condemned to death in Libya earlier this year. Since then, the two countries have been strengthening their ties with several billion pound trade deals including the purchase of Airbus planes, fighter jets and a contract to build a nuclear reactor for civil use in Libya. Libya ended decades of isolation from the international community four years ago when it gave up its pursuit of nuclear arms and renounced terrorism. Libyan- French relations further improved when Tripoli accepted responsibility for the 1989 shooting down of a French airliner over Niger and offered compensation to the victims. During his five-day visit, his first to France since 1973, Gaddafi toured the Palace of Versailles, dined at the Ritz Hotel and met representatives of the North African community in France.

Not everyone in France was as at ease about the visit as the president seemed, however.

Rama Yade, the country’s Secretary of State for Human Rights, said France should demand “guarantees” on human rights from its visitor.

“Colonel Gaddafi must understand that our country is not a doormat on which a leader, terrorist or not, can come and wipe the blood of his crimes off his feet. France should not receive this kiss of death,” he said.

While Gaddafi has not been in France for 34 years, his son Hannibal has made quite an impact there. The 28- year-old playboy triggered a major diplomatic incident in Paris two years ago when he was arrested for allegedly punching his pregnant girlfriend and wrecking a hotel suite. He had to be arrested by armed police at the Paris Intercontinental, but was later released on bail. Six months earlier he was pulled over for driving his Porsche at 70mph down the Champs-Elysees.

Two years before that, Hannibal was arrested for attacking three Italian policemen with a fire extinguisher while on holiday in Rome. In all the incidents, he successfully claimed diplomatic immunity and no charges were ever brought.

At a special ceremony hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Libya and France signed a number of business agreements. The deals include Libya’s purchase of 21 Airbus aircraft and a nuclear co-operation accord.

Their total value was not made public but earlier President Sarkozy said they would be worth 10bn euros (£7.2bn).