Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi accused the United Nations on Friday of interfering with the internal affairs of Muslim countries.

His comments came during a trip that may have violated a U.N. ban on flights to and from Libya.Gadhafi arrived Thursday in the capital of this West African country to lead prayers for the Muslim new year. He left Friday for Nigeria.

The United States asked Nigeria to detain the aircraft on which Gadhafi flew to that country.

State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said the United States is asking officials in Niger and Nigeria about the facts of the case.

"We will be very disappointed with both of those governments if in fact they aided and abetted the Libyan dictator to fly in violation of the U.N. sanctions to both of those countries," Burns said.

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Before leaving Niger, Gadhafi appealed to Muslims to unite behind the cause of Islam.

"If people had followed the tenets of Islam, there would have been peace instead of the war that prevails in spite of all U.N. and Security Council resolutions," Gadhafi said.

"My trip to Niger and Nigeria is a message for Americans and the U.S. who belittle Muslims and the Islam religion," he said.

Burns on Thursday dismissed the Libyan explanation that Gadhafi's Niger trip was to foster religion. Burns denounced Gadhafi as a leader of a terrorist state and said the people of Niger could "say their prayers without him."

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