Tunisian Opposition Proposes National Dialogue without the President

Demonstrators carry flags during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in Tunis (Reuters)
Demonstrators carry flags during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in Tunis (Reuters)
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Tunisian Opposition Proposes National Dialogue without the President

Demonstrators carry flags during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in Tunis (Reuters)
Demonstrators carry flags during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in Tunis (Reuters)

Opposition parties in Tunisia have proposed to launch a national dialogue without President Kais Saied.

The secretary-general of the Republican Party, Issam Chebbi, told the German News Agency (dpa) that parties discussing the proposal will announce it during a press conference on Thursday.

The initiative is led by social democratic parties, including the Democratic Current, the Democratic Forum for Labor and Freedoms, and the Republican Party.

Chebbi warned that the country is on the verge of collapse, saying: "We believe that the dialogue we have been calling for in the past year is the best solution to get out of the crisis."

Saied, who last year announced extraordinary measures to suspend the parliament and boost his constitutional powers, has so far avoided this demand despite foreign pressure.

The president launched a national consultation through an electronic platform in preparation for a popular referendum on political reforms.

Opposition parties and organizations said that the consultation could not substitute national dialogue.

Chebbi explained that Saied categorically rejected the dialogue.

"We do not want the country to be dependent on the will of one person, nor for dialogue to depend on the president. We are in the process of coordinating our efforts, and we will determine the necessary steps for an inclusive dialogue."

Meanwhile, Tunisia Press Agency (TAP) said authorities suspend flights of the national carrier, Tunisair, between Tunisia and Burkina Faso until further notice.

Four security sources and a diplomat from West Africa said army officials had ousted Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore and detained him in an army camp after heavy gunfire around his house on Sunday evening in the capital Ouagadougou.

The military coup also suspended the country's constitution, dissolved the government, and closed the national borders.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.