Tunisian minister threatens withdrawal from ruling troika

Tunisian official Slim Ben Hamidene wants a national accordance government Tunisian Minister of Land and State Property, Slim Ben Hamidene has told Arabstoday that his centre-left al-Mottamar Party has decided will withdraw its ministers from the Tunisian government, if the Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali continues to form a "government of technocrats."
The Tunisian official stressed the need to form a national accordance government that would enjoy the consensus of the current ruling Troika. He warned that the formation of a government of technocrats would pave the way for the return of the previous Ben Ali regime. "The remnants of the former regime remain as a part of the state, despite the revolution."
He added that ministerial reshuffle negotiations were positive at the beginning, with an agreement about replacing the Tunisian Foreign Minster Rafik Abdessalem. However, talks "deteriorated due to lack of cooperation from the Islamist Ennahda party, as it refused to abandon the Ministry of Justice."
He said that his party had drafted a national salvation programme to achieve the objectives of the Tunisian revolution through combating corruption and pushing ahead with government work. He also revealed that al-Mottamar Party proposed creating a new governmental position to coordinate between the Tunisian ministries. He stressed his party’s commitment to the principles of the Tunisian revolution and the Troika government that expresses the will of the people.
On the other hand, the Tunisian minister called on French Interior Minister Manuel Valls to apologise to the Tunisian people for describing Islamist rule in Tunisia as "Islamic fascism." Ben Hamidene said that France needs to respect the sovereignty of Tunisia and the dignity of its people. He added that the statement showed the "ugly colonial face" of the European country.
The al-Mottamar Party official said the recent assassination of Popular Front party's Shokri Belaid was an attempt to "kill" the democratic left in Tunisia. He added that such a crime only serves the interests of parties looking to disrupt the objectives of the Tunisian revolution.