(Recast)Army to protect Tunisia's national wealth from protests: president

The Tunisian armed forces will protect sources of national wealth, including phosphate production, for purpose of establishing the rules of law in Tunisia," Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said on Wednesday.

In a speech broadcasted live by the National Television, Essebsi stressed that "the constitutional right of citizens and peaceful protests are guaranteed, but the blocking of industrial production will not be tolerated."

It is the first time Tunisian troops will be sent to protect production facilities vital to Tunisia's economy. Protests and strikes in recent years have cost the country billions of dollars.

Essebsi denounced certain "anarchic" social movements which, according to him, only trampled on the machine of national production.

"The democratic process is more and more threatened by certain sensitivities that formulate the political landscape," warned Essebsi.

According to him, those who come to power through the people's will and the vote will also leave it in the same way.

The Tunisian president, referring to the opposition, said that some political parties should focus on the upcoming elections, including municipal elections scheduled for later this year as well as the presidential elections of 2019. Enditem