13/06/2011 11:13
Gaddafi tells Ilyumzhinov he will not leave Libya
Defiant Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi told the president of the world chess federation (FIDE) that he had no intention of leaving the country, RIA Novosti reported citing a source at FIDE office in Kalmykia.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is also a former governor of the Russian constituent republic of Kalmykia, paid a visit to Libya on Sunday as part of FIDE's "Year of Africa" program to promote the game of chess in African countries.
During the meeting, Ilyumzhinov presented Gaddafi with a chess set crafted by Kalmykian artisans.
"They [Ilyumzhinov and Gaddafi] got acquainted in 2004 during the World Chess Championship in Tripoli, and they are on good terms with one another," the source said.