Tunisian minister rejects foreign intervention in Mali

Protesters threw stones at police officers after a peaceful rally to demand more jobs turned violent Tunis – Azhar Jarboui   Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdel-Salam has reiterated Tunisia\'s opposition to French military intervention in Mali. Speaking to reporters, Abdel-Salam said that the ruling troika coalition rejects any foreign military intervention in the African continent. He added that problems which requires military intervention need to be solved through the establishment of an African force to handle such missions.
Tunisian President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki supported the Algerian position calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Mali.
During lengthy talks with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Aziz, Algerian National Assembly Speaker Abdelkader Ben Saleh, and head of the Moroccan Parliament Karim Ghellab, Marzouki called for a unified position on the crisis in Mali by identifying a clear strategy which recognises the complexities of the situation. He added that the Mali crisis has become a security challenge for neighbouring countries and stressed that Tunisia refuses to provide legal cover for French military operations in the region.
Meanwhile, Tunisian Foreign Minister Abdel-Salam denounced the killing of a Tunisian trader by members of the Libyan army.
The incident led to the closure of Ras Jdir border crossing for the fourth time in less than a week, after the head of the Tunisian government Hamadi Jebali and his Libyan counterpart Ali Zeidan pledged to speed up the proceedings of opening it to facilitate the movement of passengers and goods.
Civil society organisations from the border town of Ben Gardane postponed their meeting with the Tunisian government delegation, including Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, until Thursday.
The meeting was called after local labour unions carried out a general strike in Ben Gardane last week. There were violent clashes between protesters demanding an end to the border crossing\'s closure and security forces, with the local police station and Ennahda party headquarters being burned down.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdel-Salam visited Ben Guerdane to ease tensions. He promised the government\'s cooperation in helping to achieve people\'s aspirations, stressing that it is not possible to fix corruption in a year or two. \"Things need some time,\" he said.
Despite the social contract agreement between the government and Tunisian people, there was further tension on Wednesday when citizens and security forces clashed in the city of El Kef. Protesters threw stones at police officers who repelled them with tear gas in northern Tunisia, after a peaceful rally to demand more jobs turned violent. Witnesses said demonstrators tried to attack the police station in El Kef when the clashes broke out.
Some protesters pelted the headquarters of Tunisia\'s ruling Islamist party Ennahda, with stones and chanted slogans against the government.
Commercial activity in the El Kef region has been at a standstill, and the strike was organised by the local branch of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), in protest at what they saw as lack of government commitment to the implementation of their agreement.
Another strike was organised in the southern Safax province, with workers demanding jobs and development. The strike led to the closure of schools, colleges, public institutions and shops in the region.
In the northern governorate of Jendouba, five security officials were injured in violent clashes between citizens and security forces. A number of young people closed the road in front of the post office and burned rubber wheels. Security forces intervened to disperse the protesters and open the road by using tear gas.
Meanwhile, the President of the National Constituent Assembly Mustapha Ben Jaafar affirmed that the country\'s new constitution will be ready by next April at the latest. Ben Jaafar said that the final draft is being authorised for publication.
The president of the Tunisian parliament also pledged that the new constitution will guarantee a peaceful transfer of power and will be dedicated to achieving the goals of the revolution. He emphasised that it will contribute to the establishment of a civil state.
Arabstoday has learnt that the Tunisian Constituent Assembly will resume on Thursday and the first session will discuss rights and freedoms under the new constitution.