Official: 3 ministers quit new Tunisia government

[January 18, 2011]  TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- Tunisia's junior minister for transportation says he and two other ministers with ties to a top labor union have resigned from the government formed after the president was driven out by a national uprising.

The walkout undermines Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi's hopes of quelling the country's simmering unrest by forming a new government that includes members of the opposition to the regime that controlled the country for more than two decades. It was not immediately clear if the resignations could cause the government to fall.

Junior Minister for Transportation and Equipment Anouar Ben Gueddour told The Associated Press Tuesday that he had resigned along with Houssine Dimassi, the Labor Minister, and Minister without Portfolio Abdeljelil Bedoui.

They are all members of a general national labor union.

Tunisia's interim leaders have sought to stabilize the country after riots, looting and an apparent settling-of-scores after autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday.

[Associated Press]

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