Americas

Americas

Kerry hails passage of new constitution, gov't formation in Tunisia

30 January 2014 04:10 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday lauded Tunisia's ratification of a new constitution and the formation of an interim government in the past few days, calling the moves "historic milestones" in its political transition, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"While Tunisia's transition to democracy is not yet complete, these are very important steps," the top American envoy said in a statement. "They are proof positive that Tunisia's democratic transition can succeed."

Tunisia's Interim Prime Minister Mehdi Jemaa on Tuesday told the National Constituent Assembly, which passed the new constitution Sunday, that his goals would be organizing "fair and transparent" elections, reviving the country's economy and fighting terrorism threat, a top concern for Washington in the North African region.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Jemaa and his colleagues during this critical period," Kerry said, calling on the new government to "move quickly to set a date for early elections."