March 11th, 2011 by Oman Views

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March 1st, 2011 by Oman Views

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia’s interim president chose a former government minister as a new prime minister on Sunday, appealing for a return to calm following new violent protests that have been hobbling this North African country since the ouster of its long-time autocratic leader.

Beji Caid-Essebsi will replace Mohammed Ghannouchi, who resigned earlier Sunday after becoming a major irritant to Tunisians behind the so-called “Jasmine Revolution” that toppled autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali last month and sparked a wave of upheaval in the Arab world.

The caretaker president, Fouad Mebazaa, made the appointment later Sunday.

As Ben Ali’s prime minister for 11 years, Ghannouchi became the emblem of an entrenched old guard that many Tunisians feared were hijacking their revolution.

It was not immediately clear how much the shake-up would mollify the protesters in Tunisia, at a time when its leaders are attempting to rebuild its tourism industry and cope with an influx of Tunisians and others fleeing from violence in neighboring Libya.

The change in the government’s leadership follows renewed street protests. Officials said that at least five people have died in violent street protests since Friday.

Ghannouchi had previously vowed to stay on to guide Tunisia until elections could be organized this summer.

As he stepped down, Ghannouchi sought to take the high ground.

“This (resignation) is not a flight from my responsibilities, but to open the way for another prime minister who – I hope – will have more margin for action than I have had, to give hope to the Tunisian people,” he said.

“I am not ready to be the man of repression, and I will never be,” Ghannouchi said, warning that unspecified forces appeared to be swelling to try to quash the move toward democracy.

Caid-Essebsi is an elderly statesman and lawyer who served in government posts under the Tunisia’s two longtime leaders since it gained independence from France in 1956: Habib Bourguiba and Ben Ali.

Ben Ali was driven from power on Jan. 14 and fled to Saudi Arabia following weeks of a deadly popular uprising that has fanned similar upheaval across the Arab world.

Some Tunisians believe that Ben Ali loyalists in the country have sought to sow discord and discredit the movement that brought the former authoritarian leader down.

“There needs to be reconciliation among all Tunisians to show the world that Tunisia is a civilized country,” Ghannouchi said. “My resignation will help create this new atmosphere.”

The Interior Ministry, in a statement Saturday, blamed “provocateurs” for fomenting violence in otherwise peaceful rallies and for allegedly using young people as human shields in renewed demonstrations.

On Saturday, police and troops backed by tanks used tear gas to disperse hundreds of youths protesting against the caretaker government. Officers were seen chasing some youths through town after the rally ended.

Authorities then ordered a temporarily ban on vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the capital’s central Bourguiba Avenue until midnight Sunday – the first of its kind since Ben Ali’s downfall.

On Friday, police fired tear gas and warning shots as violence erupted alongside a sit-in that drew tens of thousands of protesters near the seat of the interim government.

Officials said nearly 200 people were arrested over the last two days.

Let Your LOVE Shines, Give Her A Diamond

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By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA, Associated Press

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February 24th, 2011 by Oman Views

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia’s interior minister on Monday sought to dissolve the political party of the country’s ousted autocratic president, while the government asked Saudi Arabia to extradite the widely reviled former first lady to face justice at home.

Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14, following a massive popular uprising that ended his 23-year rule and prompted a wave of protest against other autocratic leaders across the Arab world.

The caretaker government, which is preparing for elections later this year, has been trying to distance itself from the former regime in the North African nation. Interior Minister Farhat Rajhi on Monday formally petitioned a Tunis court to dissolve Ben Ali’s longtime ruling party, the official TAP news agency reported.

Some members of the current government – including the acting prime minister – are former members of the Democratic Constitutional Rally, known as the RCD. They quit the political group after Ben Ali’s ouster, and the party’s activities have already been suspended.

Despite those moves, protesters have continued to demand the dissolution of the RCD.

With no sign of Ben Ali since his departure, rumors have swirled about his health. On Sunday, the government said it has asked Saudi Arabia whether its exiled former president is dead and demanded his extradition if he is still alive.

On Monday, the TAP agency said the government had also asked Saudi Arabia for the extradition of Ben Ali’s wife, Leila Trabelsi. Her family is said to have allegedly operated like a mafia, extorting money from business owners and demanding stakes in companies.

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and other ministers, meanwhile, met with U.S. Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman.

The government also named a career diplomat Mouldi Kefi as country’s foreign minister, making him the third person to hold the post in a month.

Kefi, who has worked at Tunisian embassies in countries including Russia and Indonesia, was sworn into office by interim President Fouad Mebazaa, the TAP news agency said.

Two other foreign ministers have left their posts since Ben Ali’s departure. Kamel Morjane, who was foreign minister under Ben Ali, kept his job briefly after the strongman’s ouster. But protesters continued to press the government to get rid of symbols of the Ben Ali regime, and Morjane stepped down late last month, citing “Tunisia’s best interests.”

He was replaced by unpopular Ahmed Ounaies, who angered many with a long, gushing speech in Paris in praise of French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie. She has come under fire for her handling of the situation in the former French colony and for a vacation she took in Tunisia shortly before Ben Ali fled.

The “people’s revolution” in Tunisia has inspired protesters in countries throughout the region, including in Egypt, where mass demonstrations forced President Hosni Mubarak from power. Governments have violently tried to suppress similar protests in other countries including Yemen, Bahrain and Libya.

Tunisia’s unrest has largely subsided since Ben Ali’s departure. But sporadic violence has continued.

On Friday, the body of a Polish Roman Catholic priest, Marek Marius Rybinski, was found with his throat slit in a Tunis suburb. It was the first deadly attack on a member of a religious minority since Ben Ali’s ouster. The TAP news agency said Monday that police have arrested a suspect, a Tunisian woodworker who worked at the same school as the priest.

Let Your LOVE Shines, Give Her A Diamond

Click to the pioneering personals site that revolutionized online dating

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA, Associated Press

Photo: middle-east-online.com