Libya slams Tunis, Israel ties<\/p>\n
TUNIS (Reuter): Libya said yesterday it was surprised by
\nTunisia's decision to establish ties with Israel, describing the
\nmove by its North African neighbor as contradictory to the will
\nof the Arab people.<\/p>\n
\"This decision is contrary to (Libya's) position of
\nprinciple...which rejects normalization policies with the Israeli
\nenemy in all its forms,\" the official Libyan news agency JANA
\nsaid in a commentary.<\/p>\n
Flanked by Israeli Foreign Minister Ehud Barak and Tunisian
\nForeign Minister Habib Ben Yahia, U.S. Secretary of State Warren
\nChristopher announced in Washington on Monday that Tunisia and
\nIsrael would establish diplomatic interests sections in each
\nother's countries by April 15.<\/p>\n
Christopher said the move was \"an important step to widen the
\ncircle of peace\" in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\"This decision is a surprise to us,\" JANA, received in Tunis,
\nsaid. \"This decision reflects disdain for Arab and Islamic
\nvalues.\"<\/p>\n
Tunis-based diplomats said the Libyan comment was likely to
\nincrease strain in the already fragile ties between the two
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
They recalled that Tripoli in November brought home its envoy
\nin Mauritania in a protest against Nouakchott's decision to
\nestablish similar ties with Israel.<\/p>\n
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, saying he was expressing the
\nposition of the Arab people by opposing the Middle East peace
\nprocess, had been pressing neighboring Tunisia since 1994 not to
\nestablish ties with Israel, they said.<\/p>\n
Last year, Tunisia turned down a request to that effect from
\nQaddafi. It told his envoy it was a sovereign state and rejected
\nany interference in its foreign policy.<\/p>\n
Christopher said on Monday he and Ben Yahia had discussed
\nthreats against Tunisia. \"I told him the United States would take
\nsuch threats very seriously,\" he said, without revealing who had
\nmade the threats.<\/p>\n
Ben Yahia said in Washington that the decision was an
\nupgrading of the level of relations with Israel as a result of
\nprogress made in the Middle East peace process.<\/p>\n
Tunisia and Israel in 1994 agreed to establish \"liaison
\nchannels\", a lower form of diplomatic contact than a \"liaison
\nbureau\" or an \"interests section\".<\/p>\n
But the decision was not implemented, Tunisia insisting it
\nwould only do so when progress was made in talks between Israel
\nand the Palestinians over implementing their 1993 peace deal.<\/p>\n
Diplomats said that Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben
\nAli, at an unexpected meeting earlier this month with Qaddafi in
\nsouthern Tunisia, tried to mollify Libya's opposition to his
\ncountry's ties with Israel, without apparent success.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/libya-slams-tunis-israel-ties-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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