ABBAS VISIT TO TUNISIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001343 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND NEA/IPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV TS SUBJECT: ABBAS VISIT TO TUNISIA REF: A. TUNIS 1308 ¶B. TUNIS 1253 ¶C. TUNIS 1204 ¶D. TUNIS 644 Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM HUDSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On May 30, Palestinian President Abbas began his three day state visit to Tunisia with a meeting with Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. The GOT, ever eager to play its traditional moderate role in the Middle East Peace Process, has focused the visit on its support for the Palestinian people and Abbas' leadership of the Palestinian government. Abbas also used his visit to build support among Fatah factions resident in Tunisia, including Farouq Qaddumi. GOT officials and local contacts reported Abbas believes support for Hamas is waning among Palestinians. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Tunisian and international press covered the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Tunis from May 30 - June 1. It was reported that Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali invited Abbas as part of the "constant consultations" between the two governments. Abbas, who last visited Tunisia in November 2005 to attend the U.N. World Summit on the Information Society, received significant and positive coverage in the Tunisian press throughout his visit. Additionally, local radio reported the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) party considers "Palestinian issues" a priority and RCD political bureau members greeted Abbas upon his arrival at the Presidential Palace. ¶3. (C/NF) The public GOT support for Abbas is only reinforced by GOT concerns about the radical Islamic nature of the new Hamas government. As numerous GOT officials, including Ben Ali, have told us (Refs B and D),the GOT believes Hamas must renounce violence and accept Israel. Additionally, the Tunisian regime is concerned by the rise of a radical Islamic group through democratic elections and cites Hamas' success as evidence the Tunisian model of gradual political reform is the only way to combat Islamic extremism. President Ben Ali told Assistant Secretary Welch in March that Hamas had inquired about sending an official delegation to Tunis, but -- other than rumors of a future Khaled Meshaal visit -- there is no indication the GOT plans to welcome any Hamas officials in the near future. ¶4. (U) While in Tunis, Abbas also met with members of the �A;Fatah Central Committee (FCC),including Qaddumi, to discuss how Fatah can counter-balance Hamas' influence within Palestinian circles. Like many PLO leaders, Abbas was resident in Tunisia from 1980 - 1994. Qaddumi recently returned from attending the May 27-30 Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial in Malaysia, where he clashed with Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahhar. Local journalists also report that Abbas held a "quartet" meeting in Tunis, with Qaddoumi, former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and Mohammed Ghunaim, President of the Fatah Office of Mobilization and Organization. ¶5. (C/NF) Foreign Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah told the Ambassador on June 1 that he was positive that Fatah factions are close to being united and that Fatah Central Committee leader Farouq Qaddumi helped Abbas with this during his visit. Abdallah added that Fatah needs unity in order to confront Hamas. Abdallah said Abbas had noted one interesting development in the Palestinian political environment: a recent election at the University of al-Quds (Jerusalem) had resulted in a Fatah majority and a Hamas minority. According to Abdallah, Abbas said this was the first time in fifteen years that Hamas had not won a majority in elections at this university of over nine thousand students. ¶6. (C/NF) An AMCIT with family ties to Abbas and who met with Abbas in Tunis on June 1 told PAO that Abbas said he expects Palestinians to vote overwhelmingly in favor of the upcoming referendum and that he believes Hamas is losing influence. Abbas also noted that he is under significant U.S. pressure to resolve issues on the ground. Regarding his meetings with Tunisian officials, Abbas said that the visit was "okay," but he did not indicate any GOT support of substance. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: A Tunisian journalist told the Ambassador on May 30 that the GOT is so focused on internal problems (Refs A and C) that it has no energy to address international problems. If true, this is an unfortunate development as the GOT has been historically helpful and moderate with the Middle East Peace Process. Nonetheless, the visit plays a key role in Ben Ali's domestic political agenda, as the Tunisian public is vocally pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli. The GOT continues to maintain a delicate balance between supporting the Palestinian people and rejecting Hamas' violent and extremist policies. While Tunisians continue to enjoy a daily ration of anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian resistance articles in GOT-influenced media, the GOT consistently highlights its role in advancing the Palestinian cause, particularly support -- if only moral -- for the Palestinian people. However, these same papers fuel popular sentiment in favor of Hamas and rejecting normalization with Israel - both views that conflict with official GOT policies. END COMMENT. HUDSON