Tunisia’s Salvation Front requests financial and media support from the UAE

One of the founders of the Salvation Front and former leader in Nida Tunis Party has requested financial support from the United Arab Emirates in order to counter the Ennahda Movement. The request by Rida Belhaj has been revealed in the minutes of his meeting inside the UAE embassy in Tunis with a senior diplomat. The meeting, Arabi21 has reported, took place at the embassy during the first week of January at Belhaj’s request.

According to the minutes, Belhaj told the UAE official that Nida Tunis Party is completely finished and that it is no longer possible to revive it as a united entity. The sole remaining intact party is Ennahda, said Belhaj; it is the “prime political force” in Tunisia.

Furthermore, he explained, Ennahda is more than likely to win the forthcoming elections convincingly if “nothing is done to contain the situation.” A new political force that is capable of striking a balance with Ennahda in the Tunisian political landscape is needed, he claimed, noting that the Salvation Front, which was established by several parties — the most important of which are the Tunisia Project Party under the leadership of Muhsin Marzuq and the Free National Union under the leadership of Salim Riyahi — is the only political front that is able to strike this sought-after balance.

“The Front is the only political body in Tunisia that may interact positively with the UAE’s regional policies in the region,” suggested Belhaj, “particularly within Libya.” He asked for the UAE to provide financial and media support for the Salvation Front. Although Riyahi is known to be wealthy, Belhaj stressed that the parties within the Front have financial difficulties.

The other members of the Salvation Front, announced earlier this month, are the Socialist Party, the Democratic National Action and the Constants.