Abassi: "There have been assassination attempts against me"

Abassi said the UGTT would "continue to push for national reconciliation and to start a national dialogue about anti-terrorism measures."

The UGTT (Union générale tunisienne du Travail) is one of the four members of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, which was honored with this year's Nobel Peace Prize. In his first interview with an international broadcaster since the announcement, Abassi acknowledged that the current government and its predecessor had managed to establish social stability in Tunisia. This had been one of the National Dialogue Quartet's goals and a prerequisite to managing the country's economic and security problems, Abassi said. If these problems were not fully resolved, the implementation of projects would become difficult for Tunisian and international investors, he added.

Abassi said the UGTT's goal "is not eternal friendship with the government, but neither is hostility."

"There have been various assassination attempts against me as head of the labor union," Abassi said, continuing, "I believe the reason for this is that we in the labor union have been fully engaged in leading the country out of the crisis."

Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize meant that the UGTT would "continue to push for national reconciliation and to start a national dialogue about anti-terrorism measures." Abassi stated that he would work to promote peace not only in Tunisia, but in other countries in the region as well.

The full interview airs Thursday, November 4, at 16.15 UTC on DW's Arabic political talk show "On the Pulse."