The gas-rich Gulf emirate of Qatar has agreed five joint ventures with Libya worth a total of eight billion dollars, a senior Libyan official told AFP on Thursday.

The deals in the construction, tourism, power and banking sectors were signed in the central coastal city of Sirte in the presence of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and visiting Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the official said.

The Qatari emir made a brief visit to Libya on Wednesday in which he also discussed "international issues of joint interest," .