(Aljazeera) Britain's Tony Blair has begun a visit to Libya, and plans to meet president Muammar al-Qadhafi in a tent on the outskirts of Tripoli. (...) "A number of British companies are interested in Libya. It is possible that Shell will be able to find an agreement with Libya in the days ahead." Shell is after the gas exploration rights off the North African country's coast. But several other UK companies were likely to reap the benefits of improved relations. British Aerospace and defence giant BAE Systems is "in advanced negotiations with Libya on civil aviation," the official added. (...) Libya is considered a highly attractive country for the world's oil giants because of its low cost of recovery, the quality of its oil and its proximity to European markets. It has total proven oil reserves of 36 billion barrels, but could have much more because only 25% of the country's territory is covered by exploration and production agreements. Blair's Conservative opponents however condemned the visit, saying it was inappropriate for the PM to give his condolences in Madrid and then travel to Tripoli. "It's quite odd timing to go from a service which commemorates the victims of the biggest terrorist attack on Europe since Lockerbie, to go straight from there to Libya," Conservative leader Michael Howard told BBC Radio.