During an EU-Africa summit, that ended on Tuesday in Tripoli, the Libyan leader described European's economic relationship with the African continent as a "failure".

Unless "Christian, white" countries gave him extra funding, Colonel Gaddafi predicted that Europe would be flooded with illegal immigrants leaving impoverished Africa.

"We should stop this illegal immigration. If we don't, Europe will become black, it will be overcome by people with different religions, it will change," he said.

Col Gaddafi has so far received only £42 million in EU funding to improve treatment of refugees heading for Europe amid human rights fears and a recent refusal by Sweden to sell Libya surveillance planes.

The Libyan leader is critical of the EU for linking trade and aid to free markets and progress on human rights. He told EU officials at the summit that African leaders say they are ready to abandon ten years of trade talks because of European demands.

"Africa has other choices," he said "Let every country and every group govern itself. Every country is free to serve its own interests. Africa can look to any other international bloc such as Latin America, China, India or Russia."

A leaked US diplomatic cable giving an assessment of Kenya as a "swamp" of corruption prompted calls for an apology from Nairobi. "It is totally malicious and a total misrepresentation of our country and our leaders. We are surprised and shocked," said a Kenyan government spokesman.

But Col Gaddafi did not make any reference to the Wikileaks publication of a confidential American communication detailing his need to always travel with his "with his senior Ukrainian nurse" and his love of "flamenco dancing."