MGGZ01: TUNISIA CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF DIALOGUE

UNCLAS TUNIS 001641 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG (HARRIS) AND NEA/IPA (TWILLIAMS) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAL TS SUBJECT: MGGZ01: TUNISIA CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF DIALOGUE ¶1. (SBU) On June 29, Tunisia released an official statement related to the latest Israeli-Palestinian developments, reiterating its call for "resumption of dialogue and implementation of the Roadmap." Also on June 29, in a speech to newly arrived ambassadors, President Ben Ali stressed the need for "international protection" for the Palestinian people and the importance of resuming negotiations. Both the statement and the speech reflected Tunisia's traditional moderate stance on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, while reiterating its support for the Palestinian people. ¶2. (U) Below is the full text of the official public statement (TAP Translation): BEGIN TEXT: Tunisia reiterates its call for resumption of dialogue and implementation of "Roadmap" TUNIS, June 29 (TAP) - Tunisia is following, with great concern, developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the painful conditions the brotherly Palestinian people are subjected to, and the degradation of the situation in the region, as a result of Israel's obstinacy to escalate its attacks against a defenseless people, imposing on it a stifling blockade and destroying its infrastructures and belongings. Tunisia, which hosted the Palestinian Revolution, offered its leadership the ideal framework in which it carried out its action in all freedom, opened to the Palestinians the ways for weaving tight and robust ties with the European capitals, and helped them launch dialogue with the United States of America, which made possible the Palestinian leadership's return to Palestine. Tunisia has unfailingly supported the Palestinian cause and reasserted its active solidarity with the Palestinian people in their fight for recovering their robbed lands and their right to self-determination and the edification of an independent state on their soil. Given its conviction that dialogue and political solutions are the surest way and the most efficient tool to achieve a just, comprehensive and sustainable settlement, Tunisia has expended huge efforts and is incessantly endeavoring to urge the international community to take a firm stand to put an end to the Israeli government's violations and compel it to abide by the international legality and to be serious and responsible in dealing with all initiatives and efforts meant to revive the peace process. Today more than ever before, Tunisia reaffirms the need to provide international protection to the Palestinian people, as part of the respect of international law, the United Nations legitimacy and the relevant Security Council resolutions. It reiterates its call to all influential sides, particularly members of the Quartet, to act for the resumption of dialogue and the implementation of the "Roadmap," with a view to reaching a fair, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East region and to help all the region's peoples live in security and stability, and devote themselves to the tasks of building and reconstruction. END TEXT. HUDSON