Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi has cancelled a private visit to southern Spain, reportedly because of the absence of top Spanish officials.

Gadhafi 'who had expressed the desire to come to Spain has decided to cancel his visit,' a Spanish foreign ministry source told AFP, without giving an official reason for the decision.

But according to the ABC newspaper, Gadhafi changed his mind because he could not meet with King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

The two senior Spanish officials are currently in Copenhagen to support Madrid's bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Gadhafi was to visit the southern Andalucia region on his way back from a joint summit of the African Union and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) held in Venezuela at the weekend.

The two-day summit brought together nine South American presidents and some 20 African leaders.

Gadhafi's trip to Venezuela was his first to a Latin American state since he came to power 40 years ago.


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