The Tunisian president visited Libya on Wednesday, March 17, the first visit by a head of state to the new heads of government of national unity. The menu for the meeting was plentiful: the fate of the jihadist families, the position vis-à-vis Israel and economic cooperation.
as reported from Tunis Mathieu Galtier
The visit was intense. In eight hours, the Tunisian President, Kais Saïed, met the Prime Minister, Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, then the President of the Presidential Council, Mohamed el-Menfi. If the Tunisian head of state had the honor of being the first official host of the new executive, it is in fact Tunisia that has made the first concrete gesture. Tripoli announced a group of women and children for suspected Tunisian jihadists returned to Tunisia. Their return is debated in Tunisia. Some political parties demand that their nationality be forfeited.
In return, Kaïs Saied called for a revival of the Arab Maghreb Union. The dying organization established in 1989 brings together the countries of North Africa. It is a matter of blocking the Moroccan “normalization policy” with Israel, which Kaïs Saïed is strongly opposed to.
At the economic level, the President of Tunisia has proposed a joint investment plan to facilitate trade and financial transfers. The crisis in Libya would have cost about a quarter of Tunisia’s growth between 2011 and 2015. In terms of diplomatic and economic aspects, the Libyan authorities promised nothing at the end of the meeting.
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