LONDON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A commitment to human rights by the interim government in Tunisia is a "powerful and encouraging step," the British government said.
The interim Tunisian government that grew out of a revolution that ended the reign of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has made commitments to democracy and international human rights.
The European Parliament said Thursday it was sending a 12-member team to Tunisia to examine the political situation with interim government officials in the wake of the revolution.
Catherine Ashton, Europe's top foreign policy official, wrote in an article published by The Guardian newspaper that "surface democracy" won't survive in Tunisia "if deep democracy fails to take root."
British Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt in a statement welcomed a commitment from Tunis to get to work on addressing human rights in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution.
"I hope that it is a signal of the new government's genuine commitment to respect human rights and cement democracy," he said in a statement.
European lawmakers discussed the political situation in Tunisia this week, expressing solidarity with reformers but complaining about a lack of sound European policy regarding the situation.
Ashton said demonstrators in Tunisia "brought their country to a political watershed."
