(RTTNews) - A report in the Libyan state media says an Arab request to Muammar Gaddafi, the country's leader, for his intervention to calm tension between Egypt and Algeria sparked by their football World Cup play-off matches has been accepted by the Libyan leader.

Egypt and Algeria, both of whom share borders with Libya, have accused each other of failing to protect their citizens and property from attacks by rival football fans.

Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary general and an Egyptian himself, called Gaddafi Monday and requested him to intervene in his capacity as chairman of the African Union and drawing on "the high, distinguished position that the leader enjoys," Libya's JANA news agency reported Tuesday.

"The Leader of the Revolution, Chairman of the African Union, will work to repair the situation that relations between the two brotherly countries Egypt and Algeria were subjected to..." it said.
The row began when the Algerian team bus was attacked with stones before a World Cup group-stage match November 14, injuring three players. Egypt won the game 2-0, forcing the play-off in Khartoum, Sudan's capital and resulting in mobs in Algeria ransacking the offices of Egyptian companies.

After the second match in Khartoum, which Algeria won 1-0 and thereby booked the African berth for next year's finals in South Africa, Egyptian newspapers unleashed stirring headlines about the country's fans being attacked by machete-wielding crowds. However, Sudanese police said there were only a handful of injuries.

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president, said Saturday that his country would not allow its citizens abroad to be humiliated and withdrew his ambassador to Algiers and Algeria has demanded an explanation from Cairo.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Youssri, a former Egyptian ambassador to Algeria, said Gaddafi's intervention would "give the leaders a chance to save face" though he thought it may take a few weeks. He said things are calming down and people in the two countries are very sad about this. About 150 Egyptian and Algerian academics and intellectuals issued an appeal to defuse the row.

by RTT Staff Writer

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