The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) broadcast recordings of the last phone calls made by the late Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali with a number of political and military figures and those close to him during the period of the collapse of his rule and his escape.
The BBC confirmed that it had verified the authenticity of the audio recordings of Ben Ali's phone calls with businessman Tariq bin Ammar, his friend Kamal Latif, Defense Minister Reda Qureirah and army commander Rashid Ammar.
In a call with Defense Minister Reda Qureirah, Ben Ali asked about the situation on the ground and confirmed that he would return within hours.
The recordings also included a call that Ben Ali had with General Rachid Ammar, the army chief, to ask him if the situation allowed him to return to Tunisia.
Rashid Ammar replied that it is better to wait.