President of the Republic Kais Saied chaired a National Security Council meeting at Carthage Palace on Monday, during which a number of issues were discussed, including human trafficking, the increase in road accidents, the situation of the media and the medical city in Kairouan.

The Head of State paid tribute to the efforts of the security and military forces "who have recently been working consistently to enforce the law" and combat human trafficking in the country. He stressed that Tunisia, which is proud of its African identity, "is working to ensure that Africa is for Africans, but within the framework of the law".

The Head of State warned against the increase in road accidents, referring to the 9 people (8 sub-Saharan migrants and one Tunisian national) who were killed in Kairouan on Sunday, adding that the authorities "will work resolutely to neutralise the criminal networks that exploit these migrants".

The President placed emphasis on freedom of expression, saying that "freedom of the press is an undeniable right guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution". He pointed out that "freedom of expression does not mean telling lies, slander, indecent assault or death threats".

With regard to the National Television Corporation, Saied stressed that Tunisia's two national television channels, "National Channel 1 and National Channel 2, must serve the homeland," adding that "he is not there to interfere in their editorial lines. Yet this institution should be committed to the liberation of the homeland", as stated in his speech.

In the same context, President Saied said that a number of radio stations "have made arrangements and resorted to propaganda to mislead and misinform public opinion".

With regard to the construction of the medical city in Kairouan, the Head of State said that the Presidency of the Republic was trying to raise funds for this project, "but a Tunisian side asked a foreign country not to finance the project as if it were a private project".

The President of the Republic reiterated that the National Security Council will also address the issue of financing the budget, stressing that "we will rely on ourselves without giving up a single shred of Tunisian sovereignty".

The NSC meeting was attended by Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, Speaker of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) Brahim Bouderbala and a number of ministers and security and military officials.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse