Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune criticized on Sunday “dangerous attempts” to encourage Libyan tribes to carry arms.
Such efforts may transform “a fraternal country into a new Somalia”, he said in an implicit reference to Egypt’s moves on the ground in Libya.
In televised remarks, he revealed that Algiers and Tunis were drafting an initiative on the Libyan crisis. He did not elaborate, but stressed that Algeria was “in constant contact with all parties of the crisis, whether inside Libya or abroad.”
Dialogue remains the only way to resolve the conflict, Tebboune added.
Moreover, he criticized how several countries were undermining the recommendations of January’s Berlin conference on Libya, citing how weapons were still being delivered to the country. He did not specify which parties were sending arms.
He said Algeria cannot be involved in any initiative to resolve the crisis without first referring to its neighbors. It must also take into consideration the interests of the Libyan people, who supported Algeria during the 1954-62 revolution.
“We must stand by the Libyan people,” he declared, stressing that Algeria “was the only country that did not have material interests in Libya. Our only concern is its unity.”
“All Libyan parties, even the tribes, want Algeria to play a role in resolving the crisis and we are up to the task,” he stated.
Meanwhile, an Algerian government source revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that authorities turned down “at the very last minute” a visit by Libya’s east-based parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh to Algiers that was due on July 18.
It said that developments on the ground “prompted us to postpone the visit”. It did not elaborate.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
