Tunisia's Interim Government Holds First Meeting
VOA News 20 January 2011
Tunisia's new interim government has convened its first Cabinet meeting since last week's ouster of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The Cabinet met Thursday in spite of a series of protests in which demonstrators have criticized the interim government for being made up of ministers closely associated with the ousted president.
The French News Agency (AFP) reported the main items on the agenda for Thursday's meeting are a separation between the state and the ruling party and a general amnesty.
Meanwhile, security forces in Tunis fired warning shots Thursday at protesters who gathered outside of the headquarters of the RCD, the party of former President Ben Ali.
Large demonstrations also have taken place in the towns of Gafsa and Kef.
The new protests erupted after interim President Fouad Mebazza promised a complete "break with the past," during an address carried late Wednesday on state television.
Earlier, state TV reports said that ministers in Tunisia's interim government had resigned from the RCD party. Also, Mebazza and Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi quit the party in an attempt to distance themselves from the former president.
Also Wednesday, state television reported the arrests of 33 members of Ben Ali's extended family trying to flee the country. The reports showed images of seized gold and jewelry.
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