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By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 17 February 2013:
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has said that Libya intends to be actively involved in African affairs, . . .[restrict]but not in the interfering way of the Qaddafi regime. He was speaking in the Chadian capital N’Djamena yesterday, Saturday, at the opening of the extraordinary summit of the Community of Sahel Saharan State (CEN-SAD).
“We have come here at this time”‘ he said, “to emphasize our strong belief in the importance of our relations in Africa, and on the importance of the Community of Sahel-Saharan states which represents a bridge between the brothers in this region of the African continent.”
Libya, he said, wanted relations between the 28 CEN-SAD countries to be based on new insights – sustainable development, the security of member states, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.
The summit was called to strengthen joint action on security in the region in the wake of the moves to crush militant Islamists in Mali. There are concerns too about the spread of weapons from Libya across the Sahel.
In his speech, Zeidan stressed Libya’s “commitment to contribute to the re-establishment of security and development in Mali, and maintain the unity and territorial integrity”.
On the sidelines of the summit and accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohamed Abdulaziz, Zeidan also discussed regional security matters as well as bilateral affairs with the Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.
The Prime Minister flew back to Tripoli late on Saturday night. [/restrict]
