Tunis mission 'preparation' for IMF agreement - Meloni

(see related) (ANSA) - ROME, JUN 8 - Sunday's mission to Tunisia with European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte should help pave the way for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a much-needed bailout, Premier Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.
    "We need both sides to be open. I talked about it with (Tunisian President Kais) Saied" said Meloni of her visit to Tunisia on Tuesday, speaking to reporters after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Palazzo Chigi in Rome.
    "Sunday's trip can facilitate this task" because the role played by the EU "is not of secondary importance" and the presence of von der Leyen and "two heads of government is an important signal," she added.
    Meloni said the visit "could be preparatory to asking for an agreement with the IMF".
    "I trust we can reach a solution on this issue," she concluded.
    (ANSA).