Tripoli, 7 June:
A Tunisian-Libyan conference on “Good local governance and municipal cooperation along the borders” was held in Djerba on Wednesday.
Co-organised . . .[restrict]by the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, the one-day conference looked to build up systems of cooperation between towns on both sides of the border, the objective being to strengthen democratic governance, promote peace and boost local economies. In particular, the Dutch agency sought to promote closer cooperation between the towns of Medenine, Ben Guerdane and Dhehiba in Tunisia and Nalut and Zuara in Libya.
At the meeting were several Tunisian, Libyan and foreign stakeholders and officials who, it was hoped, would help develop cooperation on the border regions.
Among them was Abdellatif Tounsi, head of Libya’s National School of Administration, who called for the creation of joint economic zones on both sides of the border. These, he said, could help rebuild Libya’s dilapidated infrastructure. He also called for the employment of more skilled Tunisians in Libya to help the economy back onto its feet. [/restrict]
