- TUNISIA
- February 10, 2013
- 4 minutes read
Rached Ghannouchi: Tunisia Shall Defeat Attempts to Burn Revolution with Political Assassination
Rached Ghannouchi, Annahda Movement leader, said plots against Tunisia will fail, adding that assassination of leftist politician Chukri Belaid was, "a serious incident aimed at undermining the peaceful nature of the revolution, the Tunisian model of peaceful revolution, and the development model it seeks to establish."
In a statement to Anatolia news agency, Ghannouchi added that: "The assassination of Belaid aims to undermine national unity and to create a bloody conflict throughout Tunisia, and also aims to attack Annahda movement as the ruling power, since every act of sabotage is aimed at the governing authority, ultimately".
On recent remarks by French leaders, regarding the situation in Tunisia, Ghannouchi said: "We reject such statements as foreign interference in Tunisian affairs. Indeed, we reject any interference from any source".
Earlier, the French Minister of Interior Manuel Valls was reported to urge the Government of his country to support "Democrats" in Tunisia against newly-elected Islamist rulers.
Ghannouchi further said: "I feel that certain powers are targeting Arab Spring countries, as if a decision has been made somewhere in the world to abort Arab Spring revolutions through overwhelming chaos, spreading of violence, lawlessness and strife, and plunging the country into enmity and hatred."
He pointed that there are bloody and violent attempts carried out by professionals to destroy the Arab Spring model revolutions, which bet on reconciliation between Islam and democracy – Islam and the West.
"These evil attempts will be defeated, broken on the solid rock of Tunisian national patriotism that does not have any history or legacy of civil wars."
In response to accusations by Chukri Belaid’s family claiming that he and his Annahda Movement were behind the assassination, Ghannouchi said: "We understand this hostility – in the midst of confused initial reactions. But if it continues, it would point to an inclination to get drawn into a scheme to sow sedition and strife between Islamists and secularists. When looking at a crime by unknown culprits, one always asks the question: who has a motive to do it? Who benefits from it?"
Currently, Tunisia is facing a wave of anger and outrage, after the assassination of Belaid, amid warnings of this anger turning to violence with Friday’s general strike and clashes between demonstrators and security forces during Belaid’s funeral.
