The Egyptian government today said its Libyan counterpart is responsible for securing Egyptians and their property in Libya after Libyan officials accused Egyptian residents in Libya of fueling protests against the Libyan president. In statements to the press, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said there are approximately 1.5 million Egyptians in Libya. "We were surprised by the ridiculous accusations claiming that Egyptians are participating in these protests." Aboul Gheit added that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has requested C-130 aircraft to aid the evacuation of Egyptians in Libya. The Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Civil Aviation are working together to increase the number of flights to Libya to speed up the evacuation process, he said. The foreign, defense, transportation and health ministries are coordinating efforts to facilitate the return of Egyptians, Aboul Gheit said. The Foreign Minister added that the chief obstacle facing rescue efforts at the moment is obtaining permission for Egyptian aircraft to land in Libya because, he said, the response of the Libyan authorities has so far not been clear. The Egyptian embassy in Tunisia has been assigned with the task of receiving Egyptians fleeing Libya, helping them and flying them back to Egypt.
