The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) approved on Monday a 225-million-U.S.-dollar loan to Tunisia to assist the country's political transition.

It's the third tranche of a 1.7-billion-dollar loan agreement signed in June last year to revive the Tunisian economy. The north- African country has been hammered by three years of political turmoil triggered by the ouster of its former President Zine Abidine Ben Ali.

But after an IMF delegation visited Tunisia from March 6 to 24, the organization said the country's economic situation is still " fragile with an insufficient growth that does not meet social expectations."

Tunisia's Central Bank called on Monday for a national economic summit in order to find urgent solutions to the current economic situation.

Earlier in January the IMF granted the second installment of the loan, thanks to the political stability in Tunisia especially after it adopted its new constitution.

The IMF loan is to endorse Tunisia's economic and financial reforms that are mainly related to subsidy cuts. The funds were delayed before because of the crisis after two political assassinations last year. Endi

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