The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) and political parties said they have declined an invitation from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis to participate in a meeting with a U.S. congressional delegation.

MPs, representatives of national organisations and political parties are expected to attend.

A delegation from the US Congress will visit Tunis on September 4 and 5. This visit was at the centre of the meeting held on Friday by Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi with US ambassador to Tunis, Donald Blome.

The Echaâb movement said it had received an invitation, on behalf of MP Leila Haddad, to attend the meeting.

The party declined the invitation, reaffirming its position of principle on the need to protect national sovereignty and oppose any attempt at foreign interference, said Friday in a statement issued by the political group.

The Free Destourian Party (PDL) also said it rejected the invitation, recalling in this sense its call to remove the National Democratic Institute (NDI) (an American institution that works to promote democracy in the world) from parliament.

In a statement issued on Friday, the PDL stressed the imperative to preserve national sovereignty.

For its part, the “Alliance for Tunisia” party, in a statement, denounced any call for foreign interference in Tunisia’s internal affairs, saying it was “a high treason”.

In addition to the political parties, the UGTT, in the person of its secretary-general Sami Tahri, said it rejected the invitation. “Internal problems can only be solved between Tunisians,” he wrote on social media.

The trade union centre will not take part in the planned meeting with the US delegation, he said.

Source: TAP News Agency