Tunisia, foreign leaders hail new 'model' charter

Tunisia celebrated today the adoption of a new constitution three years after the revolution, a landmark in getting its troubled transition back on track and hailed as a model by foreign leaders.
A ceremony at the national assembly, where the constitution was adopted on January 26, burnished Tunisia's positive image in contrast with other Arab Spring nations, such as Libya and Egypt, which remain plagued by instability and political turmoil.
The long-delayed charter, finally approved three years after the revolution that toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and inspired uprisings across the Arab world, is widely regarded as being the most progressive in the region.

The ceremony was not without incident.
US diplomats walked out when Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani accused the United States and Israel of seeking to prevent the Arab Spring revolutions from succeeding.
"The hands of Israel and the United States have tried to render these revolutions sterile, and to make them deviate from their course so that Israel can benefit," he said in a speech to the assembly.

The US embassy later denounced Larijani's comments as "false" and "inappropriate."
"What was intended to be a ceremony honouring Tunisia's achievements was used by the Iranian representative as a platform to denounce the United States," a statement said.

French President Francois Hollande, the only European head of state attending the ceremony, hailed the constitution as an example for other countries.
"The constitution honours your revolution and is an example for other countries to follow," he told the packed chamber, including the Algerian and Kuwaiti prime ministers and the presidents of Chad, Gabon, Guinea and Mauritania.
"It confirms what I had said (on a visit) in July, that Islam is compatible with democracy.