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Tunisia: Deputies pass economic bills

BARDO - The Chamber of Deputies adopted, on Friday, during a plenary session under the chairmanship of first deputy-Speaker Sahbi Karoui, a set of economic draft laws.

The Chamber looked at a bill providing for the adoption of the loan agreement sealed, in Tunis, on July 22, 2009 between Tunisia and the French Development Agency (FDA) for co-funding the first part of the 4th sanitation project of low-income and rural districts.

The bill is part of financing the second part of the 4th sanitation project of low-income districts and rural areas, and investment programme implemented by the National Cleansing Board (ONAS) as part of the 11th Development Plan (2007-2011), the aim being to improve the linkage rate to the sanitation network of low-income districts and rural regions.

Then, the Chamber looked at two bills: the first provides for the adoption of Appendix number 1 amending the convention relating to permit of hydrocarbons prospection, called "Makhtar," and its appendices, while the second bill provides for the adoption of the Appendix number 4 amending the convention pertaining to the "Zarat" prospection permit and its appendices.

The first bill provides for the amendment of Articles 5 and 21 of the Convention specifications related to the "Makthar" permit, through a one-year extension of the validity of the second renewal, over the period between July 11, 2008- July 10, 2009 and the validity of third renewal of this permit over a three-year period, from July 11, 2009 to July 10, 2010.

This permit is co-used by the HTC, "Hydrocarbure Tunisie Corporation" company and the "Entreprise Tunisienne des Activités Pétrolières ( ETAP ) company.

The second bill provides for the amendment of Article 20 of specifications pertaining to the prospection convention of the "Zarat" permit to be renewed for the third time, over a 2- year period, as of July 25, 2008 and up to July 24, 2010.

This permit is granted to the "P A Ressources-Tunisie" company and ETAP company.

Then, the Chamber examined a bill providing for adoption the guarantee convention concluded, in Washington in July 2009, between Tunisia and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The Convention pertains to granting the State guarantee to credits conceded by IBRD to Amen Bank (23.1 million euros), Banque de l'Habitat (15.4 million euros) and Banque de financement des petites et moyennes entreprises (BFPME) (3.9 million euros) to finance energy efficiency projects.

The energy efficiency project aims to achieve energy saving of 320,000 TEP.

Then, the Deputies looked at a draft law providing for the adoption of an agreement of guarantee concluded, on August 31, 2009 between Tunisia and OPEC Fund for International Development related to the additional credit granted to Société tunisienne de l'électricité et du gaz ( STEG ), worth an amount of 30 million US dollars, i.e., about 39 million dinars, for financing the development project of natural gas distribution.

The credit will be reimbursed over a 17-year period, with a 3-year period of grace. This credit aims to complete an initial credit which is worth 16.870 million euros, and concluded on March 21, 2006 between Tunisia and OPEC Fund for International Development.

The new amount will help cover the increase of the cost of the initial project due to the rise of prices of raw materials, the extension of the gas pipeline to reach the city of Zarzis.

The total cost of the project is of about 87 million dinars to which the OPEC Fund for International Development contributes to 71 million dinars as part of the allocated initial and additional credits.

The deputies examined a bill providing for the adoption of the guarantee agreement concluded on October 13, 2009 between Tunisia and the African Development Bank (ADB) pertaining to credits granted to STEG company worth 47.570 million euros for funding a project of boosting the electricity network distribution.

Then, the Chamber of Deputies looked at a draft law providing for granting State guarantee to the credit concluded on June 16, 2009 between the Television Broadcasting Board and "Thomson Grâss Valley France" company worth 4.606 million euros to contribute in funding purchase of equipments for the first part of the project of terrestrial digital television (TNT).

The credit is reimbursable over a 5-year period at a fixed 3.8-per-cent rate of interest. Then, the Deputies examined a bill providing for the approval of the amendment for the creation of the International Monetary Fund.

The Chamber of Deputies closed works with looking at a bill pertaining to the approval of the loan agreement concluded, in Tunis on July 9, 2009, between Tunisia and Saudi Development Fund, at an amount worth 75 million Saudi Riyal, i.e., about 26 million Tunisian dinars, to contribute to financing the integrated agricultural development project in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid.

The loan will be reimbursed over a 20-year period, with a five-year grace period and a annual 5-per-cent interest rate.

© Agence Tunis Afrique Presse 2009