Brussels, 01/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - Tunisia rejects the idea of military operations on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, particularly in Libya, to destroy the boats of traffickers and smugglers as the EU proposes. Indeed the EU is multiplying its steps to obtain the UN's approval for this (see EUROPE 11316 and 11322).
While visiting Brussels last week (see EUROPE 11324), Tunisia's Prime Minister Habib Essid re-asserted his view in an interview on Belgian radio station RTBF. Tunisia is “against any military intervention to resolve this issue”. The issue “must be resolved both before and after the migrants leave”, he added. Persuaded that there is “another” solution, Essid also says that in his meetings with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and other commissioners there has “never been any question” of a military operation.
Essid does “not think that destroying the boats (…) can resolve the issue”. He says that the traffickers who carry out this trade in human beings should be tackled, and that attempts should be made to identify and catch them. For this “a very wide collaboration” is needed “between all actors from all the countries of the Mediterranean”, he said.
Against hosting migrants in Tunisia. Essid rejects the idea that Tunisia can host “some of the migrants” while the EU studies their status. “This is a solution that we reject. We already have problems with those that we let into Tunisia during the revolution. Why create reception centres in Tunisia? Why not create them in Europe?”, he asked. Essid stated that “in high seas, we are obliged to help boats in distress. We bring those whom we rescue back to Tunisia. We never ask others to help us find a solution”. The only exception, Essid says, is the Syrians, who are “real political refugees”. “The political situation is such that they can't live in Syria. The international community is obliged to help them avoid a sure death”, Essid stated. (Fathi B'Chir)