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| Africa North |
| Algeria, Tunisia agree on plan to confront terrorists |
| 2013-08-09 |
| [MAGHAREBIA] Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jarandi wrapped up his two-day visit to Algeria on Wednesday (August 7th) with agreements to enhance security co-ordination. The move came after a spate of attacks in Tunisia's Jebel Chaambi region tied to al-Qaeda-linked militants, just across the border from Algeria. Algeria and Tunisia stressed the need to expand such co-ordination to include Libya and the Maghreb as a whole by establishing strategies to confront the scourge of transnational terrorism. The two sides also agreed to update operational procedures and enhance intelligence co-ordination. In a joint press conference with his Tunisian counterpart, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said the security co-operation between the two countries was "not just a hope for the future, but a reality". Medelci spoke about red lines that Algeria would not cross, namely military intervention on Tunisian soil. He also confirmed that Algeria was concerned with what is happening in Tunisia, but said the Tunisian government retains full responsibility for ensuring the country's security. Meanwhile, Medelci stressed the need to involve Libya in the security equation, adding that he discussed Libya's contribution in talks with his Tunisian counterpart and stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation to face challenges in the region. For his part, Jarandi confirmed that Tunisia needed Algeria's counter-terrorism expertise. "The Algerian experience is of interest to us, and there is consultation between the security agencies in the two countries," he said. He added that co-ordination has existed for a while and was not just the result of recent events. But he admitted to the difficulty of controlling Tunisia's southern border to monitor arms smuggling, noting that it would require huge capabilities. The Tunisian official confirmed that his country was determined to preserve its relations with Algeria, which he said "some people want to undermine". He noted that the security situation in Tunisia forces the two countries to work together to confront terrorism. With regards to bringing in Libya on the security co-operation, Medelci pointed to last January's tripartite meeting in Ghadames. The top Algerian diplomat also talked about a Maghreb plan approved one year ago on security co-ordination "in its broad sense". The Tunisian foreign minister arrived in Algiers on Tuesday heading up a senior delegation. He was received the following day by Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, and the two sides evaluated bilateral relations in many fields, a government statement said. While highlighting the special, historical relations between the two peoples, Sellal expressed Algeria's willingness to make every possible effort to further enhance co-operation between the two brotherly countries. |
| Posted by:Fred |