National Defence Minister Farhat Horchani affirmed in an interview to TAP, the existence of discussions with Germany to train Libyan security and army forces on the Tunisian territory, as part of a tripartite project including Libya.
“We have been asked by Germany and we have agreed on the principle,” said Horchani in this regard, pointing out that it is one of the forms of Tunisia’s participation in the reconstruction of Libya.
“We could help the Libyan national union government to extend its authority, train its army and we are ready to support it at the international level,” asserted Horchani, pointing out the need for the future Libyan government to exercise its authority over all the territory and be shouldered by efficient army and security forces.
Besides, the minister affirmed that Tunisia is still opposed to any foreign intervention in Libya, but “at the same time it is not neutral in fight against terrorism.”
“We are against all foreign intervention which will but complicate the situation and will solve nothing. Civilians will once more pay the price,” he underlined.
“Tunisia which is also facing terrorist threats, cannot afford however to be neutral,” he specified.
Asked about the state of Tunisian-Libyan relations, Horchani said that “the historical” relations binding the two peoples shall by no means be affected by the current anti-terrorist fight.
“Our problem is with terrorists, many of whom are Tunisians, and by no means with Libyans as such,” he pointed out, recalling that the individuals suspected by the authorities to be behind the last attacks against the Bardo museum and a hotel in Sousse in 2015, are Tunisians.
“The fact of the matter is that terrorists are making the most of the State’s weakness and proliferation of arms in Libya,” the minister estimated, assuring that the sand barrier erected by the army on the Tunisian-Libyan border seeks only to reduce arms trafficking and do not impede the movement of goods and persons.
