By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, March 27: Algeria says . . .[restrict]it wants to work with Libya on joint border surveillance and security. It has proposed the setting-up of Algeria-Libya joint border committee “to handle security issues and border regions.”
The announcement follows talks today, Tuesday, in Algiers between the Algerian Minister of Interior and Local Government Daho Ould Kablia and the Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelal.
Prior to their talks, Ould Kablia said that cooperation could include training courses in Algeria for Libyan police officers, security officers and agents of civil protection. He also proposed sending Algerian trainers in Libya to oversee such training.
Ould Kablia also suggested that “a memorandum of understanding” on the creation of the Joint Algerian-Libya border committee” should be “part of a comprehensive approach covering issues relating to security and the development of border regions.”
Algeria, he said, supported Libyan efforts to modernize and structuring of its security services to fight terrorism, organized crime, the illegal trafficking of weapons, drugs and humans, illegal migration and smuggling.
In their talks, the two ministers also discussed the need to protect the land borders against the movement of terrorist groups.
Ould Kablia said his talks with Abdelal provided “an opportunity for boost bilateral cooperation relations between the two brotherly countries. ”
For his part, Abdelal, spoke of the need to unify the positions of Libya and Algeria at international level in regards to security in order to better serve the two countries.
He said that collaboration between the two neighbours at all levels would help ensure the region’s stability and security.
Recalling “their common interests”, Abdelal said the new policy of Libya was based on “trust, cooperation and exchanges,” noting that it was “confident about the Algerian intentions towards it.”
Abdelal is on a two-day visit to Algiers at the invitation of Ould Kablia during which he has been visiting the Algerian police high school, the police scientific laboratory, the National Institute of Criminology and other security institutions.
During a visit to Tripoli at the beginning of March, Algeria’s Foreign Minister, Mourad Medelci, had offered Algerian help to Libya to “build an army and police.”
Ould Kablia attended the regional security summit in Tripoli earlier this month. Shortly after his return to Algiers, he said that plans to form a committee border between Algeria and Libya would be announced before the end of March. [/restrict]
