Tripoli, Libya - Libya put its massive military might on display - and at the disposal of its African neighbors - in a jubilant celebration of Muammar Gaddafi's 30 years in power - and of his return to the world stage after years of isolation.
Flanked by more than two dozen African leaders, Gaddafi on Tuesday raised two arms in salute to his troops, pounded a clenched fist on the arm of his gilded chair as the military band played and craned his neck to watch fighter jets piloted by women officers flying low over the Mediterranean coast.
Long-range missiles, warplanes and tanks also passed by for the leaders' approval during a five-hour parade. Thousands of soldiers marched in the parade, the biggest in Tripoli since the United Nations lifted its sanctions in April, following Libya's handover for trial in the West of two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The explosion killed 270 people, mostly Americans and Britons.
Gaddafi, dressed in a white naval uniform and a green sash studded with gold medals, had invited the Organisation of African Unity to hold a special summit in Libya to coincide with his anniversary celebrations.
Even though only about half of the expected 46 African heads of state showed up, their presence gave him the legitimacy he needs to make his first step toward claiming an international role.
Parade commentators said the hardware on display was at the disposal of all the countries in Africa "to defend them against enemy attacks."
"Africa, Africa, Africa," chanted Libya's Green Revolutionary Guard. "A flaming, burning fire, Africa."
The four-day OAU summit, which ends on Thursday, was called to discuss reframing the organisation's charter and Gadhafi's proposal to unite Africa by promoting economic cooperation and building better transportation links.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Esmat Abdel Meguid, secretary-general of the Arab League, were there as summit observers.
Tuesday's parade culminated a week of festivities marking the 30th anniversary of the coup that brought Gadhafi, then 27, to power. The coastal road leading to the site of the parade in Tripoli was lined with the colourful flags of 53 OAU member states and pictures of their leaders.
Banners proclaimed that "Africa is for Africans", "The imperialist West is responsible for Africa's backwardness" and "Yes to the project of the United States of Africa."
Token military contingents from 32 African countries began the parade. Thousands of Libyan troops in camouflage or olive drab uniforms followed as French-built Mirage and Russian-made MiG planes swooped in low formations over the sea. - Sapa-AP