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Libyan interior minister disavows anti-Tunisia remarks

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Libya's Interior Minister Ahmed Baraka on Wednesday disavowed offensive statements issued by a Libyan official against Tunisia as "unilateral," according to Tunisian news agency TAP.

"President of Libyan Information Authority Omar Al Gouiri's comments are unilateral and do not represent the stance of the Tobruk government," Baraka said during his meeting here with Tunsian Secretary of State for Arab and African affairs Touhami Abdouli.

The Libyan minister added that the spokesman of the Tobruk government is the sole person entitled to express the stances of the Libyan authorities.

Gouiri's statements were in response to Tunisia's recognition of two parallel governments in Libya. "We should not equally treat a legitimate party and a non-legitimate one," he told the media on Tuesday.

For his part, Aboudli voiced Tunisia's discontent over Gouiri's statements, describing them as "an offence to the prestige and sovereignty of Tunisia."

The controversial statements have recently raised a wave of diplomatic tension between Tunisia and Libya.

Earlier, Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Taieb Baccouche stated that his country does not support a specific side in the Libyan conflict. Endit