Libya and Saudi Arabia appeared to have buried the hatchet at an Arab summit in Qatar yesterday after a feud dating back to 2003.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Saudi King Abdullah held a meeting lasting around 30 minutes on the sidelines of the summit, which has been billed by its organisers as a chance to heal Arab splits over relations with the West.

The two leaders met after Colonel Gaddafi appeared to attack the octogenarian Saudi monarch at the summit's opening session, where the Libyan delivered an unscheduled speech. But the intervention ended with a call to make peace.

"It has been six years that you have been running away and scared of confrontation and I want to say do not be afraid. After six years, it has been proven that with... the grave before you, it is Britain that made you and the Americans that protected you," said Colonel Gadaffi, addressing King Abdullah.

He then alluded to an infamous public argument at an Arab summit in 2003 when Colonel Gaddafi accused Saudi Arabia of being responsible for bringing American troops to the region. Apparently expecting another attack, Qatar's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, chairing the summit, shouted down the Libyan leader but Colonel Gaddafi, sporting sunglasses and an orange hat and robes, continued his speech in a more clearly conciliatory tone.

"For the sake of the (Arab) nation, I consider the personal problem between you and me to be over and I am prepared to visit you and receive a visit from you," he told the Saudi king. Colonel Gadaffi, who is also the current chairman of the African Union, then went on to explain his decision to interrupt proceedings: "I am king of the kings of Africa and leader of the faithful and could not take another position."

Some Saudi delegates at the summit said Colonel Gaddafi's appeal to put the past behind them was loaded. He did not refer to King Abdullah as "custodian of the two holy sites" - the Saudi monarch's preferred title, in reference to Mecca and Medina - while calling himself "king of the kings of Africa".

Following the argument in 2003, Saudi Arabia claimed it had uncovered a plot to assassinate King Abdullah, who was the crown prince at the time.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.