TUNIS: Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday rejected “foreign diktats” from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is in stalled talks with the heavily indebted country over a bailout package.

“Regarding the IMF, foreign diktats that will lead to more poverty are unacceptable,” Saied told reporters in the coastal city of Monastir.

Saied’s government reached an agreement in principle in mid-October for a nearly $2 billion package from the IMF, but the deal has not been approved by the lender’s board, a key step to unlocking support from other international lenders.

The IMF has pushed Tunisia to remove state subsidies on basic goods, particularly fuel.