Tunisia's president backs national unity govt

Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi says he will support a government of national unity, as long as it includes Nobel Prize winning groups the UGTT union and UTICA.

Any change of government would require the decommission of the current government followed by negotiations between all the groups involved, including political parties, unions and employers.

Prime Minister Habib Essid was already forced into a broad reshuffle in January, when the country witnessed its worst violence since the Arab spring uprisings of 2011 that toppled president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The economy has also been hit by several jihadists attacks, including one in June when 38 tourists were killed when gunmen stormed a beach resort. The incident has scared visitors away from its vital tourism industry.