ABSTRACT
A major source of concern to the regime was the state of the economy, beset by a further decline in oil revenues and the subsequent near collapse of the country's system of distributing food and other essential commodities. The struggle for power that had reportedly evolved between Qadhdhafi and 'Abd al-Salam Jallud, known for years as his right-hand man and the second most powerful member of the regime, seemed to be another source of apprehension for the Libyan leader. Libya's frustration and humiliation in Chad made it seek comfort and encouragement, as well as military support, in other foreign arenas. Libya's relations with Tunisia, strongly strained since the summer-autumn of 1985, underwent a significant improvement in 1987. The cancellation of the Libyan-Moroccan "Arab-African Federation Agreement" in the late summer of 1986, reintroduced open tension between the two countries.
