Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha is expected to meet Thursday in Tripoli with leaders of Libya's interim government.

It will be the highest level meeting between the two countries since the fall of former leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Sudan, whose foreign minister visited Libya in August, is eager to develop positive diplomatic relations with Libya's Transitional National Council.

Relations between Sudan and Mr. Gadhafi were strained, with Khartoum accusing the ousted Libyan leader of supporting rebel groups in Darfur in an effort to expand his influence in the region.

The Sudanese government reportedly provided military support to anti-Gadhafi forces during earlier stages of Libya's civil war.