TUNIS, Tunisia, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The British foreign secretary said Tuesday from Tunisia that London was unveiling an $8 million partnership fund to support political reform in the Middle East.
A protest suicide in December sparked a revolution that ended the rule of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years in power.
The so-called Jasmine Revolution inspired similar protest movements across the Middle East, with the governments of Jordan, Yemen and Egypt among those embracing sweeping political reforms.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said during his Tuesday visit with officials in the interim Tunisian government that the Middle East was in the grips of an important movement.
"It is a time of great opportunity for the Middle East," he said in a statement. "The courage, dignity and sacrifice of ordinary people in Tunisia in pursuit of universal freedoms that we take for granted has been inspiring."
Hague said that London was ready to back its commitment to the Middle East with an $8 million Arab Partnership Fund that he said would support reform across the region. London, he added, pledged to stand by Tunisians as they move toward democracy.
"The government has made encouraging progress in responding to the aspirations of its people," he said. "It must now ensure that change is swift, comprehensive and irreversible."
