Tunisia Pursues Talks to Resolve Political Crisis

Tunisia on Monday pushed ahead with talks to resolve a political crisis sparked by the assassination of an opposition politician, but with no sign of an end to the deadlock.

Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the ruling Islamist Ennahda party, and the powerful UGTT trade union’s chief Houcine Abassi held talks to seek a way out of the weeks-old crisis.

But the meeting failed to make any substantive progress, while a coalition of opposition parties renewed calls for the government’s resignation.

“We are not very optimistic… There are no clear concessions from Ennahda,” Abassi told private radio station Mosaique FM.

The leader of the trade union, which is playing a mediating role, was due to present the Islamists’ proposals to the opposition on Tuesday.

Ghannouchi, meanwhile, insisted there had been progress and that he had made certain proposals, which he did not elaborate on. They were due to meet again on Wednesday.

With neither side showing any sign of softening its stance, the political impasse remains, nearly one month after the assassination of the opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi, an attack blamed on Muslim extremists.

Ennahda revealed on Sunday that Ghannouchi had last week met ex-premier Beji Caid Essebsi, who heads the opposition party Nidaa Tounes.

But few details of their meeting emerged, and Ennahda’s decision-making body on Sunday said it endorsed the position of Ghannouchi, who has proposed a broad-based national unity government while rejecting opposition calls for the formation of a technocrat administration.

“We remain committed to our approach… We are for a national unity government headed by Ennahda,” said the president of the party’s Shura Council, Fethi Ayadi.

He said his party supported the idea of “national dialogue,” under the auspices of the presidency, which backs Ennahda, and the UGTT, which is demanding a non-partisan government.

Talks between the two sides last week also failed to achieve any concrete results.

Separately, the National Salvation Front, a coalition of opposition parties that have mobilized anti-government protests since the 25 July assassination of Brahmi, reaffirmed its position.

“The NSF declares its commitment to demanding the dissolution of the government and the National Constituent Assembly, and the formation of a government… composed of independents,” Mobimo Ellouze said after the group met on Monday.

The NSF also called on all social and political actors to take part in nationwide protests to be held August 24-31 demanding the government’s downfall, according to opposition MP Samir Taieb.