The Libyan plane that arrived from Tripoli was carrying “Kadhafi envoys who brought the Egyptian government a missive from the colonel” to pass on to the Arab League, Frattini told reporters in Rome.

An airport official in Cairo earlier told AFP that Abdelrahman al-Zawi, a member of embattled leader Moamer Kadhafi’s inner circle responsible for logistics and supplies, was on board the private plane.

Zawi’s visit comes as Arab League foreign ministers prepare to meet at the body’s Cairo headquarters at the weekend to discuss a no-fly zone over Libya.

An EU source told AFP that a Libyan government emissary was en route for Portugal for talks with the country’s foreign minister.