Douz — Caretaker President Moncef Marzouki, Saturday, chaired the opening of the 45th International Festival of the Sahara in Tozeur which drew large crowds.

President Marzouki reiterated his commitment to work for the promotion of the region in all areas, saying prospects for development are promising in the Governorate of Kebili which has huge human and natural resources, he said.

The opening ceremony featured folkloric dance shows performed by popular art groups of Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Libya.

Also on the programme, scenes from traditional weddings, nomadic caravans, hunting with sloughis, camel fights and camel races.

The opening ceremony was attended, in particular, by Minister of Public Property and Land Affairs Slim Ben Hmidane and Arab diplomats.

In a statement to the press, Director of the current edition Sadok Bettaieb said the organising committee inherited a 250-thousand-dinar deficit.

"The financial support estimated at 60 thousand dinars provided by the Ministry of Culture is not enough to meet the festival's spending," he regretted.