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
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