TUNIS: Tunisia’s parliament on Wednesday rejected a motion calling on France to apologize for crimes committed during and after colonial rule, following 15 hours of debate that ran into the night.
The motion had been put forward by the small opposition Islamist party Al-Karama, which holds 19 of the 217 seats in parliament.
The party’s lawmakers attended the session wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan: “Murder and torture, the brutality of French colonialism.”
Only 77 votes were cast in favor of the motion, far short of the 109 votes needed for it to pass — a tall order, given the deep divisions among lawmakers.
The motion called on France to apologize for “assassinations... rapes... the pillaging of natural resources” and an alleged list of “other crimes committed since 1881,” including supporting former president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
Tunisia was a French protectorate from 1881 until it gained independence in 1956.
A year later, it was declared a republic with Habib Bourguiba as its president.
He was overthrown in a bloodless coup in 1987 following allegations that he had become senile, and after doctors declared he was unfit to rule.
Then prime minister Ben Ali was appointed president, a post he held until he was ousted in the country’s 2010-2011 uprising.
The uprising was the trigger for similar revolts that toppled autocratic leaders across the region in a wave of protest dubbed the Arab Spring.
Tunisia lawmakers reject motion on French colonial rule
https://arab.news/bwcte
Tunisia lawmakers reject motion on French colonial rule
- The motion had been put forward by the small opposition Islamist party Al-Karama
- Only 77 votes were cast in favor of the motion
US envoy calls for ceasefire deal in northeastern Syria to be maintained
- Tom Barrack, ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, reiterates Washington’s support for Jan. 18 integration agreement between Syria’s government and Syrian Democratic Forces
LONDON: Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, on Monday reiterated Washington’s desire to ensure the ceasefire agreement in northeastern Syria between Syria’s government and the Syrian Democratic Forces continues.
In a message posted on social media platform X, he wrote: “Productive phone call this evening with his excellency Masoud Barzani to discuss the situation in Syria and the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian assistance to those in need, especially in Kobani.”
Barzani has been the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party since 1979, and served as president of Kurdistan region between 2005 and 2017.
The current present, Nechirvan Barzani, previously welcomed a recent decree by the Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, officially recognizing the Kurdish population as an integral part of the country.
Barrack reiterated Washington’s support for efforts to advance the Jan. 18 agreement between Syria’s government and the SDF to integrate the latter into state institutions. The SDF is a Kurdish-led faction led by Mazloum Abdi that operates in northeastern Syria and recently clashed with government forces.
On Saturday, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the Syrian Ministry of Defense had announced a 15-day extension of the ceasefire deal.
