LIBYA: Algerian official promises that members of Muammar Gaddafi's family given refuge on Algerian soil will not be allowed to meddle in Libyan affairs

Record ID: 574066

  • Title: LIBYA: Algerian official promises that members of Muammar Gaddafi's family given refuge on Algerian soil will not be allowed to meddle in Libyan affairs
  • Date: 7th March 2012
  • Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (MARCH 5, 2012) (REUTERS) ( * BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) EXTERIOR RIXOS CONFERENCE HALL DIFFERENT FLAGS HEAD OF NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL (NTC) MUSTAFA ABDEL JALIL AND ALGERIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MOURAD MEDELCI MOURAD MEDELCI JALIL AND MEDELCI (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL (NTC) MUSTAFA ABDEL JALIL, SAYING: "We want our relationship with our brothers in Algeria to be one of partnership in bringing about stability and security, because Algeria's security is Libya's security and Libya's security is Algeria's security. We are also partners in the Arab Maghreb Union and in the Arab League, and of course Libyan and Algerian people are partners." EXTERIOR FOR RIXOS HOTEL IN TRIPOLI LIBYAN FOREIGN MINISTER ASHOUR BEN KAYAL AND MEDELCI DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ALGERIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MOURAD MEDELCI SAYING: "We received Gaddafi's family for purely humanitarian reasons, and they remain in Algeria today for the same reasons. But it is not possible for this family to intervene, even in the slightest degree, in Libyan affairs, and this is a commitment from Algeria." PICTURE FRAME ON WALL MINISTERS LEAVING ROOM EXTERIOR OF PRIME MINISTER OFFICE VARIOUS OF LIBYAN PRIME MINISTER ABDURRAHIM AL-KEIB MEETING WITH MEDELCI
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya, Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAHRPN3HAMYSMI1KMRVS96YU42
  • Story Text: The most senior Algerian official to visit Libya since its revolution promised on Monday (March 5) that members of Muammar Gaddafi's family given refuge on Algerian soil will not be allowed to meddle in Libyan affairs.
    Algeria's relations with Libya were strained by the rebellion that overthrew Gaddafi last year, disrupting security cooperation between the neighbours that Western states believe is crucial to combating al Qaeda in the Sahara desert.
    The decision to allow Gaddafi's daughter, wife and two of his sons to enter Algeria after they fled their homes last year deepened a row that had already been simmering over Libyan allegations Algeria had been too slow to back the revolt.
    Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, speaking to reporters after meeting his Libyan opposite number Ashour Bin Hayal, sought to repair the damage.
    "We received Gaddafi's family for purely humanitarian reasons, and they remain in Algeria today for the same reasons. But it is not possible for this family to intervene, even in the slightest degree, in Libyan affairs, and this is a commitment from Algeria," he said.
    The dispute between Libya and Algeria has been rancorous. Some Libyans accused Algeria of supplying weapons to Gaddafi during last year's revolt against his rule, an allegation Algeria denies.
    When Gaddafi's family members turned up in Algeria after Tripoli fell to the rebellion, a senior Libyan official accused Algeria of an "act of aggression." Libyan border guards have barred some Algerian citizens from entering the country in retaliation.
    There was a new round of recriminations in September last year after Gaddafi's daughter Aisha telephoned a satellite television station from Algeria with a message of support for Gaddafi loyalists inside Libya.
    Medelci's visit represented the most visible sign yet that the two sides are trying to repair relations.
    Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the National Transitional Council, Libya's interim leadership, said after meeting the Algerian minister:
    "We want our relationship with our brothers in Algeria to be one of partnership in bringing about stability and security, because Algeria's security is Libya's security and Libya's security is Algeria's security. We are also partners in the Arab Maghreb Union and in the Arab League, and of course Libyan and Algerian people are partners," he said.
    Insurgents, including al Qaeda's North African branch and Tuareg separatists, use the Sahara desert's vast expanses and porous borders to smuggle weapons and evade capture.
    The problem has grown worse since the conflict in Libya, because huge quantities of weapons disappeared from Gaddafi's arsenals and Libyan border security largely collapsed.
    Before the conflict, Libya and Algeria exchanged intelligence on insurgents and cooperated over border security, but this ground to a halt after their row.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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