The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Tunisian government have reached agreement on a $1.78 bln precautionary loan which will be announced on Tuesday, a senior government official told Reuters on Monday.

"The agreement is already won and it will be announced tomorrow, but the official signing will be next month," a senior official who declined to be named said.

A delegation from the IMF began a new round of negotiations on 8 April with Tunisia, which asked for the precautionary loan to meet its financial difficulties since the revolution that toppled the former regime two years ago.