EU examines Tunisia's refugee crisis

TUNIS, Tunisia, July 14 (UPI) -- The European community must address the humanitarian challenges caused by refugees fleeing the Libyan war to Tunisia, a member of Parliament said.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay arrived Thursday in Tunisia to open the country's first office for her agency.

Six members of the European Parliament arrived Wednesday for a 3-day visit to examine problems brought on by the mass exodus to Tunisia from Libya.

"Our delegation will help us understand better how we can help alleviate the situation," Maltese EPP member Simon Busuttil, who is leading the delegation, said in a statement. "We will do this by talking directly to the refugees, to the international organizations running their camps and to the Tunisian authorities."

The European delegation visited refugee camps set up by the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies along the Libyan border. They meet Friday with Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid el Sebsi and top members of the administration.

Tunisia is facing its own political struggles after Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted from power after 23 years in office during the country's Jasmine Revolution early this year.

The government said recently it was delaying national elections by three months to October.

"Transitions are not easy, especially seismic transitions such as the one Tunisia is going through," Pillay said in a statement Thursday.