We will negotiate with Ennahda

The Secretary-General of Tunisia’s second-largest political party Nida Tunis, has revealed that his party is willing to hold negotiations with the country’s ruling Islamist movement Ennahda. In an exclusive interview with Arabstoday, the head of the Nida Tunis party, Taïeb Baccouche confirmed that his organisation “will not reject possible talks” with Tunisia’s ruling party, lead by newly appointed Prime Minister Ali Lareyedh. The news comes after Lareyedh announced last week the formation of a new cabinet to govern Tunisia until the next elections. The PM’s choice of candidates, overwhelmingly similar to that of his predecessor Hamadi Jebali, has been criticised as unrepresentative, with repeated accusations of favouritism towards his own party. Baccouche agreed with the sentiments of his colleagues. "This new cabinet is no different to the previous government which was appointed according to rules of partisan favouritism," he said. “In recent years, Jebali's government has proven an abject failure and has further exacerbated the crisis within the country." In addition, the Nida Tunis official called for the appointment of a fully technocratic government, made up scientists, engineers and other experts, selected “on the basis of competence and independence.” Baccouche also urged the government to consider staging a national dialogue conference similar to the one currently taking place in Yemen this week, in a bid to “save the country”, he said. Tunisa has been experiencing escalating political unrest since the assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid on the February 6 which sparked widespread protests across the country. Belaid, the head of the country’s Democratic Patriots Movement, was shot while entering his car. Poor handling of the case and calls for a technocratic government eventually led to the ousting of the then Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali. Baccouche described the assassination as “a heinous crime” and said he believes the murder was organised by the Leagues for the Protection of the Revolution – a non-governmental grouping accused of working for Ennahda. He called for the organisation to be dissolved, saying “they have openly incited murder.” “Belaid’s assassination was certainly political and delays in uncovering the truth have only created an atmosphere of suspicion and anxiety,” said Baccouche. "Trust will only be recovered after those who planned, carried out and ordered the crime have been punished." "Over 40 days after Belaid's assassination, there are still actions that arouse suspicion, including a statement made by the current Prime Minister Ali Lareyedh in which he said he knows exactly where Belaid's killer is but refuses to disclose his location. This is an odd and perplexing thing to say,” he said. Baccouche has called for the investigation into Belaid’s death to be fast-tracked, saying the facts of the case should be made public. "Obscuring the facts will only confirm the accusations and add credibility to the theory that there is a major cover up taking place by the Ennahda party,” he said. Meanwhile, Ennahda chief Rachid Ghannouchi has denied any contact with the Nida Tunis party, saying the organisation led by former Prime Minister Béji Caïd Essebsi was "without identity" and "a rag-tag mixture of leftists, constitutionalists and remnants of the old regime.” Baccouche responded to Ghannouchi's comments, saying “that's nonsense and a very inappropriate thing for any political leader to say." He confirmed that current relations with Ennahda are “non-existent”, but insisted that Nida Tounes "does not reject talks with Ennahda, but then again, neither do we hanker after them." "Ennahda is a political reality. Nida Tunis is also a political reality that can't be denied. If one excludes the other, then one excludes oneself as well," he said. Baccouche also denied accusations made by the Ghannouchi that Nida Tounes has links with Israel, labelling the allegations “false and aimed at tarnishing our (Nida Tunis) image.”