Tunisia's ruling Islamists step down

Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party has agreed to step down following negotiations with opposition parties that begin next week.

A spokesman for the main labour union said months of talks with the Islamist-led government had finally reached an agreement on Saturday.

Bouali Mbarki of the UGTT union says the deal calls for three weeks of negotiations to appoint an interim technocratic non-partisan government.

Tunisia has endured more than two years of turmoil, worsened by the assassination of a leading opposition figure in July.