By Houda Mzioudet,
Tunis, 29 November 2015:
Tunisia may consider imposing visas on Libyans coming to the country, Rafik Chelli, deputy minister in . . .[restrict]charge of security affairs, has said. He was speaking at a conference in Tunis on Friday organised by the Tunisian Observatory for Global Security about new security procedures and plans taken as a result of Tuesday’s terrorist attack that that killed 12 members of the presidential security force, plus the suicide bomber.
Among security measures implemented were increased security along Tunisian-Libyan border, especially the desert routes; the closure of the border with Libya for a fortnight; and tightened , he stressed.
Chelli also told Mosaique FM radio station that Islamic State (IS) terrorists were believed to be in possession of a significant number of Libyan passports as a result of which, the notion of imposing visas on Libyans was being looked at.
Neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued any statement regarding possible visa restriction for Libyans.
How such as system would work, if it were introduced, is not clear. Tunisia has no consulates operating in Libya to issue visas, although they could be issued on arrival at the border, once it reopens, or at airports. At present, Libyans generally head to Tunis to obtain visas for other countries. [/restrict]
