Tunisia most capable of helping rebuild Libya: Official

By Haitham al-Mahdhi

DJERBA, Tunisia (AA) – Tunisia is the country most capable of helping Libya in its reconstruction process, a top Tunisian official said on Friday.

“Libya is in need of extensive rebuilding and Tunisians are the most qualified to assist in this process,” Rached Ghannouchi, speaker of Tunisia’s parliament, said at the Djerba International Business Forum.

“Tunisians and Libyans are one people in two countries. We are determined to remove all legislative, security, and administrative obstacles to boost cooperation between our two countries.”

More than 500 participants, including businessmen from Tunisia and Libya, are attending the event that started on the Tunisian island of Djerba on Thursday.

Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi also recently visited Libya and the two countries signed several agreements in the fields of air, ground and sea transport, as well as facilitation of movement of individuals and goods.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara