US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday hailed the West's reconciliation with Libya ahead of a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi but also highlighted the "suffering" caused by the prolonged standoff.

Rice was heading to Tripoli later Friday for the first visit in 55 years by a US secretary of state.

Eager to show Iran and North Korea that they could benefit from a rapprochement with the West, Rice will use the visit to send a clear message of US approval for Libya's commitment to abandon nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programmes, diplomats said.

The visit marks the full renewal of relations with Libya, which were suspended in 1981, when the United States put Kadhafi's government on its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

"It is an historic moment and it is one that has come after a lot of difficulty and the suffering of many people that will never be forgotten or assuaged, Americans in particular for whom I am very concerned," Rice said in Lisbon.

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