Tunisia ruling Islamists accept assembly suspension

Tunisia's ruling Islamist Ennahda party said Wednesday it accepted the suspension of the North African country's National Constituent Assembly and urged talks with its rivals on a national unity government. "Despite our formal and legal reservations about this initiative, we hope it will serve as a catalyst for political adversaries to sit down at the negotiating table," a party statement said. The statement, signed by Ennahda chief Rached Ghannouchi, said the party hoped the assembly's suspension would lead to a government of national unity being formed. Ennahda, which leads the ruling coalition, said it hoped for "a consensus solution during this sensitive time because of security problems and major economic challenges". The statement said Ennahda supported "a national unity government comprising all those political forces convinced of the need to let the democratic process take its course" under the law. On Tuesday, the ANC -- a body elected in 2011 to forge consensus on drafting a new constitution -- was suspended. Speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar said its work would be halted until the government and opposition opened negotiations to break the political deadlock "in the service of Tunisia". Since the ANC's election, political leaders have failed to hammer out a consensus on a new constitution following a revolution that ousted long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.