Photo: The British ambassador with Libyan imams at his residence in Tripoli.

The British ambassador in Libya, Vincent Fean, held a farewell reception on 18 August for 11 imams before their departure to the UK for the month of Ramadan.

The imams' visit to the UK is sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society and organised in co-operation with a UK charity.

The imams will lead Ramadan prayers in mosques in a number of towns in the UK, including Cardiff, Bristol and Aberdeen.

During the reception, the Ambassador praised the World Islamic Call Society's initiative and emphasized the importance of religious and cultural exchange between Libya and the UK.

The imams recited a number of verses from the Qur'an.

At the end of the reception, they presented the Ambassador with a splendid Libyan carpet.

During the meeting, the Ambassador expressed his regret for the difficulties that the group of imams had experienced during their application for UK visas, and praised the British Embassy Visa Section for their successful efforts to ensure that the imams' visas were ready in time for Ramadan.

The initial denial of visas to these imams by the British embassy was not received well by the media in Libya.