United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his recent meetings in Tunisia discussed the country's arrest of UN arms expert Moncef Kartas, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2019) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his recent meetings in Tunisia discussed the country's arrest of UN arms expert Moncef Kartas, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday."The issue was raised by the Secretary-General during his meetings there, but there has been no change that I am aware of," Dujarric said.
Guterres was in Tunis over the weekend to attend the Arab League summit.
"We are in touch with the Tunisian authorities to ascertain the exact reasons for his arrest and detention as well as the conditions under which he is being held," the spokesman added.
Last week, Tunisian authorities arrested Kartas as he was leaving the Tunis airport. Kartas is a member of a United Nations team monitoring the international arms embargo imposed on Libya.
Dujarric confirmed that Kartas, as well as the experts on the mission, are protected by the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations that grants diplomatic immunity to certain UN personnel.
Tunisia's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday that two Tunisian nationals had been arrested on suspicion of espionage, but it was unclear whether the statement was referring to Kartas.
Kartas reportedly has dual Tunisian and German citizenship.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry said the arrest came after a lengthy investigation that resulted in the seizure of documents containing sensitive national security information, along with technical equipment for jamming and intercepting communications.
