A high-ranking member of the Libyan military, Major General Abdul Rahman al-Zawi arrived in Cairo on Thursday with a message for the Supreme Council of Armed Forces from Libyan President Muammar Qadhafi, requesting military help in facing rebels.
Dissident Libyan diplomats told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the message included threats that Qadhafi would expel hundreds of thousands of Egyptian workers from Libya in the event that Egypt sides with the Libyan anti-government rebels.
The diplomats went on to say that al-Zawi, who is a member of the so-called Free Officers Movement that helped bring Qadhafi to power in 1969, plans to tell Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces that the fate of nearly one million Egyptian workers in Libya depends on support for the Qadhafi regime.
Al-Zawi, the head of Libya's logistics and supply authority, will request military assistance, including equipment, ammunition and weapons, according to the diplomats. Egyptian officials did not comment on the visit, but the diplomats described the mission as "blackmail," while doubting the Egyptian military would respond to any requests from Qadhafi.
Libyan-Egyptian relations coordinator Ahmad Qadhafi al-Dam had previously failed to persuade Arab tribes of Libyan descent in the border areas to support Qadhafi.
Al-Zawai arrived via private jet to Cairo International Airport on Wednesday afternoon and was received by a number of Libyan diplomats.
The diplomats said the plane landed near the reception hall reserved for senior officials and that reporters were not allowed access to the Libyan official.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
