For Tunisia there are also concerns from the USA which is willing to solicit the IMF

For Tunisia there are also concerns from the USA which is willing to solicit the IMF

The US shares Italy's concerns about Tunisia and is also willing to urge the IMF, to unlock the aid package to avoid the collapse of the country, However, the president must take the first step Kais Saied.

So the stalemate remains, after the summit in Washington between the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, despite the solidarity shown by the Americans. The head of the Farnesina then proposed the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council, to start Kiev's admission process as early as the Alliance summit scheduled in Vilnius in mid-July.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit to the White House should also take place by the end of the month, for which the Italians have proposed three dates.

Blinken recognized the Prime Minister's "strong leadership" on Ukraine, and her government's commitment to peace and stability in Africa.

Tajani ha aggiunto: “I informed about Meloni's trip to Tunisia. We want good solutions, to be pragmatic, to continue talking with the Tunisians to find an agreement with the EU, Italy and the IMF".

The secretary of state he replied like this: “We share Italy's concern for the economic situation in Tunisia. And we appreciate the work of the delegation led by Giorgia Meloni and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen".

But then he added: “The decisions needed to obtain funds from the IMF are up to Tunis. We want it to recover, but the government must decide where to go. Italy and the USA are working closely on the issue.".

The reasons why the IMF Board has not yet approved the $1,9 billion loan agreed to by staff in October are two: first, you need the reasonable certainty of receiving your money back, e the commitment of member countries to help debt sustainability; second, the beneficiary country must want the funds and agree to a restructuring program.

On the first point there is progress, but on the second Tunisian president Saied refuses to act. For example, he does not want to cut subsidies for the purchase of fuel, for fear that this would cause a revolt.

Italy asks the IMF to be pragmatic, because Tunisia's collapse is not convenient for anyone, but the IMF and the USA respond that Saied must also take a step, to meet in the middle. This urged Blinken, saying the local government must decide where to go.

On Ukraine there is full convergence, because as they both said "We want peace, but it must be a just peace", that is, one that re-establishes the territorial integrity of the attacked country.

The USA and Italy support entry into the EU, but Tajani went ahead with the proposal of the NATO-Ukraine Council, because the Europeans do not believe that Kiev can join the Union without the protection of the Alliance: “We need to continue following the path started a few years ago to have an operational membership. The first step is to establish some sort of council to strengthen an information and political exchange."

Washington, on the other hand, is more cautious, because once Zelensky has been guaranteed the protection of Article V, if Putin attacks the country again the US would have to intervene with their soldiers.

The Americans asked for three dates for Meloni's visit to the White House, and the Italians proposed them all by July. The problem now is to find one that works for everyone, between the NATO summit in Vilnius and the UN summit on food systems which Rome will host from the 24th to the 26th of the month.