Tunisia recognizes Libya's TNC

Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194930.html

Tunisia has recognized Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC), which was set up by the revolutionary forces, as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

On Saturday, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry recognized the Benghazi-based NTC as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, several explosions and exchanges of gunfire were heard on Saturday night in several areas of Tripoli, after people broke their dawn-to-dusk fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Tripoli residents said fighting had broken out in the eastern neighborhoods of Soug Jomaa and Arada.

Also on Saturday, Libyan revolutionary forces reportedly took control of Tripoli International Airport as they continue their march toward Muammar Gaddafi's last bastion, the center of the Libyan capital.

Libyan revolutionary forces took control of the coastal city of Zawiyah, which is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Tripoli on Saturday.

Revolutionary fighters said forces loyal to Gaddafi put up little resistance before fleeing their posts in Zawiya's hospital and multi-story buildings around the main square.

In February, Zawiyah witnessed the strongest uprising against the Gaddafi regime in western Libya.

But government forces crushed the uprising in a brutal assault that destroyed the town's main bridge.

Zawiyah is a strategic town for both sides as it straddles the main road to the Tunisian border -- the Libyan regime's main supply line.

There is also an important oil refinery in the city.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces since a revolution seeking to topple Gaddafi began in mid-February.

Tunisian PM grilled over new deputy FM

Tunisian protesters and activists in clash with government forces (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187313.html

Tunisian activists say Prime Minister Beji Caid Sebsi is seeking normalization of ties with the Israeli regime after he appointed Khamis al-Jihnavi as deputy foreign minister.

The activists slammed the move as illegal, saying the appointment of Jihnavi, the former head of Tunisia's Interest Section in Israel, is a step towards normalization of relations with Tel Aviv, DPA reported.

They said his appointment violated the regulations of Tunisia's High Commission for Political Reforms and Democratic Transition.

The High Commission has recently adopted a “pact of reform” which supports the Palestinian cause and prohibits normalization of relations with Israel.

Jihnavi and Shalom Cohen - the former head of Israel's Interest Section in Tunisia - were both appointed to the positions in 1996, but stopped their activities in 2000, when the second Palestinian Intifada began.

The reform pact will provide the basis for a new constitution in Tunisia following the ouster of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a January revolution.

Tunisians are expected to elect an assembly in October to draft a new constitution.

No Israel ties in Tunisia reform pact

A file photo of anti-government street protests in Tunisia

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187145.html

Tunisia's High Commission for Political Reforms and Democratic Transition says it has adopted a 'pact of reforms' that prohibits normalization of relations with Israel.

Yadh Ben Achour, the president of the commission announced the adoption of the agreement without giving further details on its contents, AFP reported on Friday.

The pact will provide the basis for a new constitution in the North African country.

The document also states that Tunisia is a democratic country, its language is Arabic and its religion is Islam.

It further says that Tunisia supports the Palestinian cause on top of refusing ties with Israel.

Tunisians are expected to elect an assembly in October to draft a new constitution.

At least 147 people were killed and 510 left injured during the Tunisian 'Jasmine Revolution' that unseated Ben Ali in January after a 23-year-long authoritarian rule, according to the United Nations.

On January 14, Ben Ali fled the North African country to the Saudi port city of Jeddah. There are unconfirmed claims that the deposed Tunisian dictator has gone into a coma in Saudi Arabia after suffering a stroke.

Riots and protests broke out in Tunisia following the self-immolation of a 26-year-old fruit vendor, identified as Muhammad Bouazizi, who set himself on fire after police confiscated his merchandise.

Tunis court sentences Ben Ali to 35 yrs

Tunisia's ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/185571.html

A court in Tunisia has sentenced ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife to 35 years in prison after finding them guilty of embezzlement and other charges.

The conviction in absentia of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Leila Trabelsi came after a day-long trial before the Tunis criminal court.

The couple fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14 after a month-long revolution that sparked a string of other uprisings in the Arab world.

Ben Ali has denied the charges against him and says his departure was part of the plot against him. He said on Monday he had been deceived into leaving the country and denied giving orders for security forces to shoot at protesters demanding that he step down.

A statement issued by his lawyers at the Tunisian court where he was tried in absentia said he had agreed to take a plane to Saudi Arabia to bring his family to safety and had planned to return immediately. The statement added that the aircraft left Saudi Arabia without him after the crew ignored his instructions.

The couple will also have to pay more than $65 million in fines.

The verdict on other charges, including illegal possession of drugs and weapons, will be pronounced on June 30.

Ben Ali is also due to face a separate trial in a military court on charges of manslaughter and conspiracy against the state.

Tunisia's Ben Ali to be tried Monday

Ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi keep a low profile in Saudi city of Jeddah. (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/185326.html

Ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who is in Saudi Arabia, is to go on trial as Riyadh is opposing Tunisians' requests to hand him over.

A criminal court in the capital Tunis is to begin hearing the first of about 93 cases brought against the former Tunisian ruler on Monday, AFP reported Sunday.

Tunisia's new authorities are planning to try Ben Ali and his wife on drugs, guns and graft charges in absentia after the discovery of millions of dollars cash and jewellery, weapons and drugs in presidential palaces.

The ousted Tunisian president is to face nearly 90 charges ranging from murder and torture to money laundering, but his French lawyer Jean-Yves Le Borgne has rejected the accusation, slamming the trial as a "masquerade."

Ben Ali is also accused of being involved in the killing of 300 anti-government protesters during the uprising in the North African country.

Ben Ali fled the country on January 14 after a month-long popular uprising against his 23-year rule that later inspired other revolutions across the Arab world.

He is currently living in a villa in the Red Sea city of Jeddah along with his wife Leila Trabelsi and the Saudi government has not responded to Tunisian requests to hand over the former president.

The Tunisian revolution was the first of a string of uprisings against autocratic rulers in the Middle East and North Africa.

An interim government headed by caretaker Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi now rules Tunisia.

A large number of Tunisians are opposed to the new government as it still includes figures from the ousted regime.

Ben Ali trial begins in Tunisia

Tunisian ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179987.html

A military court in Tunisia has begun the trial of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi and his Interior Minister Rafik Belhadj Kazem.

The three are accused of plotting against national security as well as inflaming riots and looting in Tunisia, Xinhua reported.

The Tunisian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the former head of the police intervention units, the former director of public security, and the previous chief of special services were also arrested for their involvement in the case.

Ben Ali is said to have ordered troops to open fire on peaceful protesters.

Tunisian authorities had earlier prepared 18 legal cases against the deposed president. The cases include voluntary manslaughter and drug trafficking.

Ben Ali and his family fled to Saudi Arabia on January 15 when protests, triggered by economic issues, escalated into mass demonstrations that eventually put an end to his 23-year-long authoritarian rule.

On May 11, a court handed over the file of the former president to the Tunisian military tribunal, in accordance with the current legislation.

Tunisian police attack protesters

Hundreds of Tunisian protesters hold an anti-government rally in central Tunis on Friday

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178582.html

Tunisian Police have attacked hundreds of anti-government protesters in a second day of mass protests in the capital, killing at least one person and wounding several others.

Police have used teargas to break up a demonstration demanding the resignation of the entire government, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Sources say several cameramen were also hit in the demonstrations in central Tunis.

Friday's protests come after a former interior minister warned that loyalists of the ousted president would mount a coup if what he called “Islamists” win the ballot in an election set for July 23.

The protest is the second of its kind since the popular revolution that ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia as the Tunisian Revolution was gaining momentum.

Ben Ali's 23 years of dictatorship, which was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture, ended in mid-January after weeks of street protests.

The demonstrators are opposed to the new government as it still includes figures from the ousted regime.

The developments come days after ousted president and his wife were charged with plotting against the internal security of the state.

The justice ministry said the charges pressed against Ben Ali and Leila Trabelsi also include inciting disorder, murders and looting. The ex-president also faces over 18 other lawsuits.

Tunisia prime minister resigns

Mohammed Ghannouchi announces his resignation on state television, a month after president Ben Ali flees the country


Rallies calling for a new leadership in Tunisia have continued even after the departure of President Ben Ali [AFP]

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201122715234442377.html

Mohammed Ghannouchi, the Tunisian interim prime minister, has announced his resignation on state television.

"I have decided to quit as prime minister," Ghannouchi told a news conference, saying that he thought carefully before taking the decision which was supported by his family.

Ghannouchi has been leading the country since president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali left the country on January 14 following a popular uprising in January.

Ghannouchi was a longtime ally of Ben Ali, and had pledged to guide the country until elections can be held this summer.

Demonstrations have again erupted in the North African country in recent days, and three people were killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Tunis, the capital, on Saturday.

"Three people died from the dozen who were wounded during clashes and were transferred to hospital for treatment," the interior ministry said in a statement..

"Several members of the security forces were wounded to different degrees."

Ben Ali loyalists

Security forces had fired warning shots and tear gas at the anti-government demonstration, and protesters responded by hurling stones, journalists from the AFP news agency said.

An interior ministry official, who declined to be named, told the Reuters news agency that the deaths had occurred after a riot orchestrated by loyalists of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the ousted president.

"Those who were arrested have admitted they were pushed by former Ben Ali officials," he said. "Others said they were paid to do it."

On Friday, tens of thousands of protesters had taken to the streets demanding the resignation of Ghannouchi.

The interior ministry statement said more than 100 people were arrested on Saturday and 88 people had been arrested on Friday.

It blamed the clashes on "agitators" who it said had infiltrated the peaceful demonstrations.

They had used students "as human shields to carry out violent acts, fires aimed at sowing terror among the people and targeting the internal security forces," the statement said.

Ghannouchi announced on Friday that the government will hold elections by mid-July

'World on threshold of major change'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166332.html

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the World is going to experience a major change, as humanity is striving to understand the truths.



“Today, we witness that humanity is striving to realize the truth and the world is on the threshold of an enormous change,” Ahmadinejad said in his speech to Iranian officials and representatives of the Islamic countries in Tehran on Monday.



“Achieving justice is rapidly turning into a global objective,” IRNA quoted him as saying.



Ahmadinejad said that despite efforts by arrogant powers to spread hatemongering and enmity in social and human relations, friendship and brotherly relations are taking over.



“While the global arrogance is hatching complex, satanic plots, the people are awaking and, God willing, the time has come for the extinction of the arrogant powers,” the chief executive went on to say.



The current era is the time for the establishment of the rule of justice, Ahmadinejad pointed out.



“When the oppressed people of the world rise for justice and monotheism, the grounds will be prepared for the righteous to rule the world,” he added.



Ahmadinejad's remarks came as pro-democracy movements have been spreading across Arab countries in recent weeks.



Last month in Tunisia, nationwide outrage at the government's suppressive policies sparked a massive revolution that ended the 23-year-long rule of its president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and forced him to flee to Saudi Arabia.



On February 11, the popular revolution in Egypt, which started on January 25, ended the three-decade-long rule of US-backed dictator Hosni Mubarak.



Other pro-democracy uprisings have also flourished in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Algeria and Jordan, as more Arab countries are expected to witness similar popular revolts.

Tunisia, Egypt fire spreads to Algeria?

An Algerian anti-riot policeman throws a stone at protesters during clashes linked to rising food costs and unemployment in capital Algiers on January 7, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/162672.html

More than 10,000 demonstrators have marched in Algeria's northeastern city of Bejaia to protest against spiraling costs and unemployment.

"The protest gathered more than 10,000 people," Said Sadi, Leader of Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), told AFP on Saturday. RCD had organized the rally.

Mohamed Ikhervane, a lawmaker with the opposition RCD, said the protest was inspired by neighboring Tunisia's revolution which forced Tunisia's former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali out of force.

Demonstrators marched peacefully in the city shouting Tunisia-inspired slogans such as: "For a radical change of the regime!," Ikhervane, added.

Police were out in force around the city but protesters dispersed calmly, the RCD lawmaker noted.

Separately, pro-democracy group the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) announced a plan to organize a new march in Algiers on February 12.

The group's leader, Mustapha Bouchachi, said the protest had been postponed from the original date of February 9 to enable workers and students to take part.

Earlier in Algeria, January riots that demanded the end of the government and its 19-year state of emergency in Algeria left five dead and more than 800 injured.

At least eight people have set themselves on fire in Algeria in the past two weeks. Officials have attributed some of the cases to mental health issues.

Arab World despotism nearing collapse

Egyptian protesters, January 25

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/162197.html

The dictatorial regimes across the Arab world are getting close to collapse, as the Tunisian revolution has proven that security apparatus in those countries can suddenly fail, an analyst says.

In “Tunisia, the torture, the oppression, the persecution was beyond imagination and it all collapsed suddenly,” author and political analyst Azzam Tamimi said in an interview with Press TV.

“It can collapse in Egypt, in Jordan, Yemen, Algeria in Libya, in Saudi Arabia,” Tamimi further explained.

“For the past two or three few weeks, especially for the past week, Tunisia has been the talk of the streets across the Arab world and probably also African nations where similar models of despotism persists,” he added.

The analyst specially pointed out at the incipient revolts in Saudi Arabia.

“There is a lot going on in Saudi Arabia by the way and people are now calling for rallies to trigger some sort of popular movement,” Tamimi went on to say.

Former Tunisian President Zein El Abidine Ben Ali's 23 years of dictatorship, which was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture, ended earlier this month after weeks of street protests.

In the latest development, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a global arrest warrant for Ben Ali and several of his family members.

Tunis bureau of Interpol put the warrant into effect on Wednesday and urged the member states to search for, locate and detain Ben Ali and six of his family members.

The alert follows an arrest warrant by the country's interim government for the overthrown ruler.

Tunisian Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said that Ben Ali and his relatives are wanted on charges of illegally taking money out of the country and acquiring real estate and other assets abroad.

Ben Ali's wife, Leila, who is on the list too, is said by the French media to have abandoned the country with millions of dollars worth of gold.

The accused are believed to have assets of various types in France, where prosecutors have launched a probe into the family's property.

While Tunisia has become a model for pursuing democracy, political analysts have warned that the Tunisian political factions have to observe the rules of a democratic system to avoid a post-revolution dictatorship.

"The last thing that the Tunisian people need to do is to create a new king," political analyst Mohammad Oweis said in an interview with Press TV.

Oweis warned Tunisian opposition groups against the adoption of autocratic approaches in the existing power equations in the North African state.

Yemeni protesters call on Saleh to quit

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/162214.html

Thousands of Yemeni protesters have taken to the streets of the capital city Sanaa and several other cities, calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

On Thursday, demonstrators called on Saleh, in power since 1978, to step down from his post, AFP reported.

Security has been beefed up in the capital as more and more people are joining the protesters, who oppose the political and economic policies of Saleh's government.

On Wednesday, at least five people were injured and dozens of protesters were arrested during violent clashes between security forces in the southern province of Shabwa.

Saleh has recently announced on state TV that he will step down only after his second presidential term expires in 2013.

Anti-government demonstrations have been ongoing for the past nine days, following the revolution in Tunisia, which ended more than two decades of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ruling, sending shockwaves across Arab and North African nations.

West stands by dictators in Tunisia

Ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161861.html

Political analysts say the West supports a dictatorial regime in Tunisia instead of an Islamic government, which could bring "prosperity and freedom" to the Arab people.

In an interview with Press TV, Sari Hanafi, the professor of sociology at the American University in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, said Western countries are standing by dictatorial regimes in Tunisia over concerns of Islamic rule in the North African country.

"The international community -- the Western capitals -- keeps saying that they prefer this dictatorial regime," which was ousted after former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country on January 14.

The concerns grow as the former opposition leader of Tunisia's Islamic party al-Nahada, Sheikh Rashed Ghannouchi is set to return to the country after 20 years in exile in London.

The movement was one of the most repressed in Tunisia during the Ben Ali regime.

Members of the movement were jailed or sent into exile, and the party was banned from politics. But after the country's interim government allowed banned parties, Ghanouchi decided to return home.

Ghannouchi however believes that the current interim government is "an extension of Ben Ali's fallen regime" as most of the old figures still remain in the interim government.

In December, the self-immolation of 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi unleashed a wave of street riots across the country that ended in the dramatic ouster of strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.Ben after 23 years in power.

More than 100 people have so far been killed in the unrest in Tiunisia, according to the UN High commissioner for Human Rights. At least 70 of those killed were shot dead.

The country however has been in upheaval ever since Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia.

There is particular anger that after the overthrow of Ben Ali, his Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi has taken the reins of the transitional administration.

Hundreds of protesters kept up an angry vigil outside his office for a third day on Tuesday calling on him to quit, ahead of an expected government reshuffle.

Tunisian army vows to protect revolution

Protesters demonstrate outside Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi's office in Tunis on January 24, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161754.html


The head of Tunisia's armed forces Rachid Ammar has pledged to safeguard the country's historic revolution against any possible deviations.

Ammar made the pledge to a crowd of anti-government protesters in the capital Tunis on Monday.

"The national army is the guarantor of the revolution. The army has protected and protects the people and the country," Ammar said.

The remarks come as police clashed with protesters camping outside the office of interim Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannoushi the premier's office, calling on the government to resign.

Protesters demand that the allies of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resign from the interim cabinet.

Meanwhile, Tunisian police have put Ben Ali's former interior minister and his advisor under house arrest. They also raided a TV station, arresting its owner on charges of treason and working for Ben Ali's return.

This comes as Tunisian schoolchildren returned to classes for the first time since the protests toppled the government ten days ago. Universities will also reopen on Wednesday.

Ben Ali's 23-year of dictatorship, which was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture, ended earlier this month after weeks of street protests.

Tunisia to lift political party ban

Tunisia's interim cabinet held its first meeting on Thursday.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161167.html


Tunisia's interim government says it will recognize all banned political groups a week after a revolution ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The announcement comes after the new cabinet held its first meeting on Thursday. The cabinet meeting had been postponed amid opposition calls not to give key posts to members of Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally party.

Meanwhile, protests have continued with demonstrators demanding the exclusion of Bin Ali associates from the future administration.

Tunisian army fired warning shots in capital Tunis as angry protesters tore down signs from the ruling party's headquarters on Thursday.

The troops were trying to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who surrounded the buildings.

The army has deployed troops in the streets of the capital to prevent violence. Tension remains high despite the presence of troops across the capital city.

Ben Ali's 23-year of dictatorship, which was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture, ended earlier this month after weeks of street protests.

The new unity government aims to prepare Tunisia for new elections.

Iran warns West of meddling in Tunisia

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses crowds of people in the central Iranian city of Yazd, January 19, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160878.html


Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned the United States, Israel and some Western states not to interfere in Tunisia and Lebanon's internal affairs.

Addressing crowds of people in the central Iranian city of Yazd on Wednesday, President Ahmadinejad emphasized that Western countries aim to deprive the Tunisians of their rights through psychological warfare.

Massive riots and protests have rocked Tunisia this past month. The Riots broke out in Tunisia following the self-immolation of a 26-year-old fruit vendor, identified as Muhammad Bouazizi, who set himself on fire after police confiscated his merchandise.

President Ahmadinejad urged Tunisian politicians to exercise vigilance in face of foreign interference and pay due attention to the needs and choices of their people, adding that Tunisians want an Islamic government.

Elsewhere in his speech, the Iranian president slammed the Western-backed UN tribunal investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

President Ahmadinejad called on the US and its European allies to stop meddling in Lebanon, which he said is at a critical juncture.

Lebanon is in a political standoff after Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government collapsed on Wednesday when 11 Hezbollah-affiliated ministers resigned in a dispute over the US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), probing the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri in 2005.

The US-sponsored tribunal is reportedly about to indict some Hezbollah members in the Hariri murder case -- an allegation which has been vehemently rejected by the Lebanese resistance movement.

The Iranian chief executive also called for the promotion of unity among all Lebanese factions.

Pointing to the "Iranian nation's achievements" over the past 32 years, the Iranian president said," Today the Iranian nation is shining in the world and has brought its enemies to their knees."

Anti-government protests continue in Tunis

In recent days, thousands have protested across Tunisia to call for ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party to be shut out of the government

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160893.html


Hundreds of Tunisian demonstrators have taken to the streets of the capital city of Tunis, protesting the continued presence of the ousted president's party on the political scene.

Protesters marched down the main street of Tunisia's capital on Wednesday, calling for the expulsion of the ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's allies from the transitional government.

The demonstrators sang nationalist songs and held up signs, which read, "RCD Out!'', referring to the former ruling party, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

The fresh protests come as the new unity cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday.

The meeting will be the first gathering of the cabinet since the removal of Ben Ali from office on January 14.

Amid widespread public dissatisfaction with the new cabinet line-up, four of Ben Ali's opponents have already quit the new government in protest against the continued domination of his party. Three of the four ministers were from Tunisia's main trade union. Their decision came after the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) refused to recognize the country's new leadership.

Opposition ministers want to see all members of the former government dismissed.

In recent days, thousands have protested across Tunisia to call for Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party to be shut out of the government as the country's security forces tried to disperse the protest.

Police and security forces used water cannon and fired shots into the air to disperse the demonstrators.

Tunisian president, PM quit RCD

Tunisia's interim President Fouad Mebazaa (L) and Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi have resigned from the former president's RCD party.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160832.html

Tunisian interim President Fouad Mebazaa and Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi have resigned from the ruling party of ousted leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

They quit Tunisia's ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally party (RCD) on Tuesday as protests over the inclusion of RCD members in the new government came to a peak, CNN reported.

The RCD says it has expelled Ben Ali and six of his associates from the party.

Four ministers of the prime minister's one-day-old coalition have already left the new government amid widespread public displeasure at the new cabinet lineup.

The two top officials' resignation from the RCD was apparently intended to calm the outraged demonstrators who took to the streets of Tunis earlier on Tuesday, calling for the old administration to be swept from power.

The unity government that was formed on Monday included opposition members and members of Ben Ali's party, but the protesters are demanding that backers of the ousted president be kicked out of the new governing team.

"No leftovers from the old regime!" protesters chanted.

Riot police clashed with the protesters and fired tear gas to break up the demonstrations.

The General Union of Tunisian Workers has also refused to recognize the new government. The union stated that the presence of members of the toppled president's cabinet makes the unity government a “masquerade” still dominated by Ben Ali's supporters.

In addition, the Tunisian Islamic Party Ennahdha has announced that it plans to boycott the presidential election scheduled to be held in six months.

Ben Ali's 23-year rule ended after weeks of street protests culminated in the victory of the popular revolution. His era was marred by numerous human rights violations and acts of torture.

Tunisian police, protesters clash amid power shift

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160831.html

The demonstrations started peacefully enough. But perhaps trigger happy - or just panicked - the Tunisian police were quick to respond when a few protesters ran in front of their lines.

Within seconds, police fired tear gas canisters. The thick acrid vapour dispersed quickly covering a wide area. Victims soon found their eyes, noses and throats stinging.

After the first skirmish on Tunis's iconic Bourgiba Avenue the police briefly allowed this rally a few hundred yards further up to take place. The protesters called for former ministers of the Zine Ben Ali regime to be removed from the new interim Government of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi.

Then a political bombshell. Three members of the new interim coalition Government quit on their first day on the job. They belong to the General Workers Union, opposed to inclusion of former ministers from the Ben Ali regime.

One of their spokesmen said simply: 'This is in response to the demands of people on the streets.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghanouchi had earlier defended the inclusion of the former ministers. He said they had 'clean hands' and 'had always served to protect the national interest.

Meanwhile the unrest was spreading to side streets. At this stage, a simple standoff. Minutes later police reinforcements arrive - and then break up another admittedly noisy but still largely peaceful gathering.

And in a separate move, the Government said it would not allow the exiled Nahda party leader Rachid Ghannmouchi - who's no relation of the Prime Minister - to return home.

Tunisian exiled leader to return home

Former Tunisian president Zine El Abidin Ben Ali

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160381.html


The exiled head of the main Tunisian opposition party says he plans to return home after the departure of the ousted ruler Zine El Abidin Ben Ali.

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's Ennahda political party, said on Saturday that he would return home within the next few days from exile in London.

"I am going to go back very soon," Reuters quoted Ghannouchi as saying in a telephone interview.

"I haven't decided when yet, but possibly in the days to come," he went on to say.

"The reasons that forced me to leave do not exist anymore. The dictatorship has fallen ... There is nothing to stop me [from] returning to my country after 22 years of exile," he added.

Ben Ali left the country over increasing public discontent on Friday after sacking his cabinet members and commissioning Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to form a new government.

Angry protesters have rallied in the country since last month, opposing the nation's political system and calling for broad reforms and changes in governing institutions.

The opposition and rights groups say scores of people have been killed in clashes with police since the start of the unrests last month.

In the wake of the unexpected ouster of Ben Ali, a new wave of protests and turmoil has swept across the capital, Tunis.

Tunisia's Constitutional Council says the presidential election must be held within 60 days, after placing the country's Parliament speaker Fouad Mebazza in power.

The council, Tunisia's highest legal authority on Constitutional issues, decided to formally oust Ben Ali and put Mebazaa in charge based on Article 57 of the Constitution.

Tunisian airports were reopened after Ben Ali fled to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for more than two decades. His era was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture.