Tunisian PM threatens to resign

Moscow: Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali warned that he would resign if his Islamist Ennahda party kept opposing his plans of the cabinet shake-up, Al Arabiya reported Monday. Jebali earlier voiced plans to form an independent cabinet of experts in an effort to solve the political crisis, which was sparked by last week`s assassination of a prominent secular opposition leader, Shokri Belaid. His Ennahda political party, however, warned that it would take to the streets to support the party`s right to govern in the country following its sweeping victory in October 2011 election. Jebali also said that although he could resign from the post of the country`s prime minister, he was not intending to quit the post of Ennahda`s secretary general.

"I will not quit Ennahda, it is a respected party and I grew up with it, but I will be sad if Ennahda decides to expel me," Al Arabiya quoted Jabali as saying. The premier added that the murder of Belaid was aimed to destabilize the situation in the country and divide people. "The bullets that were fired against Shokri Belaid were aimed at the Tunisian Revolution," he said. Thousands gathered for Belaid`s funeral Friday amid a nationwide general strike called by his trade union supporters. The Ennahda party pushed its supporters to stage a pro-government rally on Saturday in response to a wave of mass anti-government protests in Tunisia provoked by Belaid`s killing. Belaid`s family accused the Ennahda party of responsibility for his assassination. The Islamist party has denied any complicity in the killing. IANS