Tunisia PM Holds Talks with Saudi King

Saudi King Abdullah on Monday met Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali in the kingdom, where ousted president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali is living in exile, state news agency SPA reported.

The leaders discussed means of "developing relations between both countries" and "the situation in Arab countries," said SPA of the first high-level meeting between Saudi and Tunisian officials since Ben Ali was ousted in January 2011.

Jebali also met Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who is interior minister, as well as businessmen and officials from the Islamic Development Bank, financial arm of the pan-Muslim body the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Ben Ali has lived with his wife Leila in Saudi Arabia since January 14, 2011, when he fled Tunisia under street pressure in an uprising that was the first in a string of protests that have since rocked the region.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly ignored Tunisian requests to hand over Ben Ali to be tried for a brutal clampdown on protests.