DAS GRAY MEETING WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001676

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG (MHARRIS)
PARIS, LONDON FOR NEA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/04/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KMPI KPAO KDEM TS
SUBJECT: DAS GRAY MEETING WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION
REPRESENTATIVES

REF: A. TUNIS 1565

B. TUNIS 1390

C. TUNIS 1308

D. 05 TUNIS 2619

Classified By: Ambassador William Hudson, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C//NF) SUMMARY. During his June 27-28 visit, NEA Deputy
Assistant Secretary Gordon Gray met with representatives of
the European Commission (EC) to discuss collaboration on
human rights and democracy reform in Tunisia. EC reps noted
difficulty in formal collaboration due to the heavy
bureaucracy of EU bodies and procedures, reluctance from
certain member states with close ties to Tunisia to raise
human rights with the GOT and an aversion from some EU
quarters to associate themselves with USG positions.
However, the EC reps were emphatic that EU-USG collaboration
on democracy and human rights was critical to advance a
reform agenda in Tunisia, and that such collaboration had a
"multiplier effect" on US and EU individual efforts. Meeting
participants agreed that in lieu of frequent formal
collaboration, informal means should be utilized to
collectively confront the GOT on its lack of reform progress.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) PARTICIPANTS:

U.S.:
--------------

Gordon Gray, NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary
Ambassador William Hudson, Embassy Tunis
David Ballard, DCM, Embassy Tunis
Dr. Pat Kabra, PAO, Embassy Tunis
Brennan Gilmore, Poloff, Embassy Tunis (notetaker)

European Commission:
--------------

Giacomo Durazzo, Chief of Operations
Bernard Philippe, Political and Economic Section Chief
(NOTE: Ambassador Marc Pierini, scheduled to attend, was
called suddenly out of town on Libya-related business)


3. (C//NF) Philippe opened by outlining some of the
difficulties the EC has faced when trying to coordinate
multi-lateral efforts to promote reform in Tunisia, such as
differing views on the human rights situation in Tunisia
between the EU Parliament, which has released three critical
resolutions since October 2005 on Tunisian's human rights
record, the European Commission, member states and the
rotating Presidency. Philippe also described a reluctance
from some EU members to officially join with the U.S. on
joint demarches or public statements. Nevertheless, Philippe
said that there were many advantages to joint coordinated
action between the EU and USG -- that such collaborative
efforts had a "multiplier effect" and could not be ignored by
the GOT. Philippe cited the presence of both EU and USG
diplomats at the May Congress of the Tunisian Human Rights
League (LTDH) as an example of such useful cooperation (Ref
C). Durazzo also pointed out recent donor coordination
meetings between the EC, EU member states, and the USG which
created a formal space to discuss programmatic efforts by
donors on a variety of topics, including human rights and
democracy (Ref B).


4. (C//NF) Philippe continued that the EU Parliament could
push EU Commissioners and the EU Council on Tunisian reform
issues. He mentioned that the EU-Tunisia sub-committee
working group on human rights, one of ten issue-based
coordinating bodies created under the EU-Tunisia Association
Agreement, had still not met due to the GOT's refusal to
accept the Terms of Reference (TOR) which allowed the
proposed committee to discuss individual cases. According to
Philippe, although Tunisian Foreign Minister Abdelwaheb
Abdallah agreed in principle to the committee, the GOT
continues to refuse the TOR. Citing previous experience in
Egypt working on individual human rights cases, Gray said
that when addressing such cases with the GOE bilaterally, the
USG ran the risk of having an issue be seen as "just a
concern of the Americans." On the contrary, approaches with
the EU proved much more effective and such a joint approach
could be effective in Tunisia as well.


5. (C//NF) Philippe suggested sharing information on specific
cases would be useful, as the EC, although financially well
resourced, did not have sufficient human capital to
thoroughly track human rights issues in Tunisia. DCM,
recognizing the impediments to formal collaboration such as
joint demarches or public statements suggested that demarches
and statements could be still be informally coordinated. If
the EU was planning on releasing a statement or addressing an
issue with the GOT, they could inform the Embassy and the USG
could also raise the issue, even using similar language.


6. (C//NF) Durazzo said that identifying key GOT
personalities who sympathized with EU goals on certain issues
had aided their efforts in other sectors, notably in economic
areas. However, he added that no such interlocutor had been
found in the area of human rights. The Ambassador, noting
that economic mismanagement, including lack of transparency
and a non-independent judiciary, could negatively affect
foreign investment in Tunisia, said that economic reform
could be one avenue of approach to address broader political
reform. He added, "coordinated messages get the most
attention."


7. (C//NF) Comment: While we will continue to coordinate in
Tunis with the forward leaning EC delegation, the
bureaucratic and political obstacles to more formal USG-EU
cooperation will require further high-level effort between
Washington and Brussels. Philippe and Durazzo looked to the
upcoming proposed EU-USG DVC on Tunisia reform issues as a
worthwhile and timely initiative in this regard. End Comment.


8. (U) DAS Gordon Gray has cleared this cable.
HUDSON