US Stresses Need for Economic Reforms in Tunisia

 Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)
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US Stresses Need for Economic Reforms in Tunisia

 Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)

Tunisia's President Kais Saied held talks with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf at Carthage Palace on Tuesday.

The Tunisian presidency said the meeting was a chance for Saied to clarify many issues related to the situation in the country.

Saied called on the US authorities to hear from Tunisian counterparts to find out the reality of the economic and social conditions in his country.

He renewed Tunis’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected any intervention in its internal affairs.

The US Embassy in Tunis quoted Leaf as underscoring that the US-Tunisia partnership is strongest when there is a shared commitment to democracy and human rights.

She stressed the importance of achieving economic reforms that will lead to equal measures of prosperity for all Tunisians.

Leaf also met with Tunisian Minister of Interior Taoufik Charfeddine to discuss security and counter-terrorism cooperation.

She underlined the importance of human rights, protecting rule of law, and freedom of expression for all Tunisians.

The meeting touched on the distinguished bilateral ties in all fields and means to bolster them.

Both sides also discussed joint cooperation projects in the security field, such as the police academy project in Enfidha.

Leaf later discussed with Tunisia’s Defense Minister Imed Memmiche direct regional and transcontinental threats.

They hailed the existing cooperation between Tunis and Washington to support the ability to address various challenges.

Barbara expressed her country’s commitment to continue supporting Tunisia to address security and development challenges.



Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024.   REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Abbas Denounces Israeli Gaza Offensive at UN, Insists: 'We Will Not Leave'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024.   REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The head of the Palestinian Authority denounced Israel and its offensive in the Gaza Strip in front of world leaders Thursday, appealing to other nations to stop what he called a “genocidal war” against a place and people he said had been totally destroyed.
Mahmoud Abbas used the rostrum of the UN General Assembly as he typically does — to criticize Israel. But this was the first time he did so since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered an Israeli military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
Abbas strode to the podium to loud applause and a few unintelligible shouts. His first words were a sentence repeated three times: “We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave.”
He accused Israel of destroying Gaza and making it unlivable. And he said that his government should govern post-war Gaza as part of an independent Palestinian state, a vision that Israel’s hardline government rejects.
“Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers and our grandfathers. It will remain ours. And if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers," The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
A nationwide series of campus protests against Israel's operations in Gaza swept the United States in the spring and largely originated at Columbia University, about 70 blocks north of the United Nations.
“The American people are marching in the streets in these demonstrations. We are appreciative of them," Abbas said.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 96,000 others, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Health Ministry.

Abbas spent big chunks of his speech at the United Nations talking about the state of life in Gaza, and he painted a bleak picture.
"Entire family names have been written out of the civil record," he said. "Gaza is no longer fit for life. Most homes have been destroyed. The same applies for most buildings. ... Roads. Churches. Mosques. Water plants. Electric plants. Sanitation plants. Anyone who has gone to Gaza and known it before would not recognize it anymore.”
Among his demands, none of which are new: A full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip — not “buffer zones.” Allowing Gaza's displaced Palestinians — an estimated 90% of the population — to return to their homes. And a central role for Abbas' government in any future Gaza.
“Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”