Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TUNIS2743
2006-11-09 16:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Tunis
Cable title:  

FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH LAYS IT ON THICK

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM TS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0020
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTUA #2743 3131625
ZNY CCCCC ZZH ZUI RUEWCSE2587 3131633
P 091625Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 002743 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/MAG (HARRIS)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM TS
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH LAYS IT ON THICK

REF: A. TUNIS 2688


B. TUNIS 2586

C. TUNIS 2501

D. TUNIS 2408

E. TUNIS 2639

CLASSIFIED BY: CDA DAVID BALLARD FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 002743

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/MAG (HARRIS)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM TS
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH LAYS IT ON THICK

REF: A. TUNIS 2688


B. TUNIS 2586

C. TUNIS 2501

D. TUNIS 2408

E. TUNIS 2639

CLASSIFIED BY: CDA DAVID BALLARD FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH ON NOVEMBER 6
CONVOKED CHARGE, "FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON." IN REALITY, THE
GOAL OF THE MEETING WAS QUITE CLEAR: ABDALLAH SOUGHT TO
EMPHASIZE THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE U.S.-TUNISIAN BILATERAL
RELATIONSHIP, WHICH HE ENTHUSIASTICALLY CHARACTERIZED AS
"TRULY AN ALLIANCE!" FOLLOWING A RECENT TELCON WITH NEA A/S
WELCH, IN WHICH THE LATTER EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT GOT
INTERFERENCE IN EMBASSY ACTIVITIES (REFS A AND C),ABDALLAH
SOUGHT TO PORTRAY EMBASSY CONCERNS AS AN EXAGGERATED RESPONSE
TO "CUSTOMARY" DIPLOMATIC DEMANDS, SUCH AS PRIOR
APPROVAL/KNOWLEDGE OF EMBASSY MEETINGS WITH NGOS. THERE WAS
NO SIGN OF AN APPRECIATION FOR THE LARGER DIPLOMATIC
PRINCIPLES AT STAKE. END SUMMARY.

--------------
IN PRAISE OF THE BILATERAL "ALLIANCE"
--------------


2. (C) FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH OPENED HIS HOUR-LONG MEETING
WITH CHARGE AND POLECONCOUNS BY MAKING REFERENCE TO HIS
PASSION FOR AMERICAN CINEMA, A SUBJECT TO WHICH THE TWO
RETURNED TOWARD THE END OF THE MEETING, WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT
TO ABDALLAH'S ATTENTION THAT, IN PASSING UP AN INVITATION TO
VISIT THE USS ENTERPRISE ON NOVEMBER 4, HE HAD MISSED THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER FEATURED IN THE
BLOCKBUSTER "TOP GUN" AND EXPERIENCE A TAILHOOK LANDING AND
CATAPULT-STYLE TAKEOFF. (HE WAS DEVASTATED BUT SAID HE COULD
NOT GET AWAY.) ABDALLAH NOTED THAT HE HAD "NO PARTICULAR
REASON" FOR CONVOKING CHARGE; HE SAID HE HAD BEEN MEANING TO
MEET GET TOGETHER EVER SINCE HIS MID-OCTOBER TELCON WITH A/S
DAVID WELCH, DURING WHICH THE LATTER EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT
THE GOT'S FORCIBLE PREVENTION OF EMBOFFS' MEETING WITH THE
BIZERTE BRANCH OF THE TUNISIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LEAGUE (LTDH)
(REF C). "I WANT TO KNOW HOW YOUR WORK IS GOING," ABDALLAH
SAID. HE EMPHASIZED HIS CONVICTION THAT, IN THE CONTEXT OF
THE STRONG BILATERAL RELATIONS THAT TUNISIA AND THE UNITED

STATES ENJOY -- "TRULY, AN ALLIANCE!" -- IT WOULD BE A
MISTAKE TO ALLOW "THE LITTLE THINGS" TO BE BLOWN UP INTO
LARGER PROBLEMS. LIKENING THE U.S.-TUNISIAN BILATERAL
RELATIONSHIP TO THE BOND BETWEEN A MARRIED COUPLE, ABDALLAH
OPINED THAT MINOR IRRITANTS CONSTITUTE A NORMAL PART OF ANY
RELATIONSHIP. THE IMPORTANT THING, HE SAID, IS THAT "WE TALK
TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THEM."


3. (C) ILLUSTRATING THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE RELATIONSHIP
FROM HIS VANTAGE POINT, ABDALLAH PROUDLY RECALLED HIS 2005
MEETING WITH SECRETARY RICE, DURING WHICH HE SAID THE
SECRETARY HAD INSISTED THAT HE FEEL FREE TO CALL HER

SIPDIS
"ANYTIME." ABDALLAH ALSO REFERENCED THE 2005 VISIT TO
TUNISIA BY SECDEF RUMSFELD, IN ADDITION TO RECENT
CONVERSATIONS WITH UNDER SECRETARY BURNS AND ASSISTANT
SECRETARY WELCH, WHICH HE CHARACTERIZED AS "WARM AND

SIPDIS
AMICABLE." ABDALLAH SAID THAT HE HOPED RELATIONS WITH THE
U.S. EMBASSY IN TUNISIA COULD BE EQUALLY AS POSITIVE.
REFERRING TO THE MYRIAD DEMARCHES EMBOFFS DELIVER ON THE FULL
RANGE OF DIPLOMATIC ISSUES, ABDALLAH SAID THAT THE GOT
GREATLY APPRECIATES U.S. COUNSEL ON SUCH MATTERS. BEYOND
THAT, HE CONTINUED, TUNISIA COUNTS ON THE UNITED STATES FOR
ITS "GLOBAL STRATEGY," INCLUDING ITS DEFENSE, ITS ECONOMY,
AND ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD. "THE UNITED STATES IS
INDISPENSABLE!" HE EXCLAIMED. ABDALLAH ALSO POINTED OUT THAT
TUNISIA CONTINUES TO PLAY A MODERATING ROLE IN THE REGION AND
"ALWAYS" SUPPORTS U.S. POSITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL FORA.

--------------
HIGH-LEVEL COMINGS AND GOINGS
--------------


4. (SBU) ON THE SUBJECT OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP,
ABDALLAH NOTED THAT MFA DG FOR THE AMERICAS GHAZI JOMAA HAD
JUST DEPARTED FOR HIS ONWARD ASSIGNMENT AS AMBASSADOR TO
TURKEY. ABDALLAH VOLUNTEERED THAT HE HAD NOT YET CHOSEN
JOMAA'S SUCCESSOR; HE IS STILL REFLECTING ON THE QUESTION.
HE MADE CLEAR THAT HE VIEWS THE APPOINTMENT AS HIGHLY
IMPORTANT, AND THAT HE WOULD BE LOOKING FOR A CANDIDATE AT
THE AMBASSADORIAL LEVEL WHO UNDERSTANDS THE DOSSIER AND HAS
THE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE. CHARGE INTERJECTED SUGGESTING THAT
"ACCESSIBILITY" ALSO BE INCLUDED ON THE LIST OF REQUIRED
VIRTUES, A SUGGESTION TO WHICH ABDALLAH READILY AGREED.
ABDALLAH INTIMATED THAT THE CURRENT POOL OF RETURNING
AMBASSADORS LEFT SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED, HOWEVER, AND THAT
IT WOULD BE HARD TO FIND A GOOD FIT.


5. (SBU) TURNING TO THE IMMINENT ARRIVAL OF AMBASSADOR GODEC,
ABDALLAH SAID THAT HE WOULD WORK TO ALLOW THE NEW AMBASSADOR
TO PRESENT HIS CREDENTIALS IN A TIMELY MANNER. HE INDICATED
THAT HE HAD "HEARD A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ABOUT" AMBASSADOR
GODEC.

--------------
THE LTDH IS A "SPECIAL CASE"
--------------


6. (C) REGARDING THE GOT'S BLOCKING OF EMBOFFS' ATTEMPTS TO
MEET WITH MEMBERS OF THE LTDH IN BIZERTE (REFS A AND C),
ABDALLAH MADE TWO CONTRADICTORY POINTS: FIRST, HE SAID, "THE
ONLY CONDITION WE HAVE IS THAT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS BE INFORMED" AHEAD OF TIME OF ANY EMBASSY MEETINGS
WITH SUCH GROUPS, A POINT WITH WHICH THE CHARGE TOOK ISSUE,
NOTING THAT TUNISIAN EMBASSY OFFICERS IN WASHINGTON DO NOT
HAVE TO INFORM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF THEIR MEETINGS WITH
AMERICAN NGOS. (NOTE: PLEADING IGNORANCE AS A NON-CAREER
DIPLOMAT, ABDALLAH SAID THAT HE HAD GOTTEN THIS INFORMATION
FROM THE TUNISIAN AMBASSADOR IN WASHINGTON, WHO TOLD HIM THAT
SUCH REQUIREMENTS WERE "CUSTOMARY." END NOTE.) ABDALLAH
THEN SAID THAT HE HAD ASKED HIS STAFF TO PROVIDE THE U.S.
EMBASSY WITH A TRANSLATION OF A JUDICIAL DECISION THAT
PROHIBITS ALL CONTACT WITH THE LTDH. (NOTE: HE WAS
PRESUMABLY REFERRING TO THE 2001 DECISION REFERRED TO IN REF

A. END NOTE.) DESCRIBING THE LTDH AS A "SPECIAL CASE,"
ABDALLAH WENT ON TO BEMOAN THE INTERNAL SCHISMS IN THE LTDH
THAT HAVE HAMSTRUNG THE ORGANIZATION FOR YEARS.

--------------
A BIGGER PRINCIPLE AT STAKE
--------------


7. (C) CHARGE POINTED OUT THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD NOT
TAKEN SIDES IN THE LTDH DISPUTE; RATHER, EMBOFFS SOUGHT
MEETINGS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION. INDEED, HE
SAID, EMBOFFS HAD MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE PRO-GOVERNMENT
FACTION OF THE ORGANIZATION. RATHER THAN GETTING ENMESHED IN
THE DIFFERENT LEGAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE 2001 DECISION,
CHARGE MADE CLEAR THAT THE ISSUE WENT BEYOND THE LTDH; U.S.
EMBASSY PERSONNEL SHOULD BE FREE TO ENGAGE ANY NGO WITHOUT
GOT APPROVAL. IN THIS CONTEXT, HE CONTINUED, HE HAD BEEN
EXTREMELY TROUBLED BY THE SIMULTANEOUS PUBLICATION IN THREE
TUNISIAN NEWSPAPERS OF COLUMNS DENIGRATING CIVIL SOCIETY
REPRESENTATIVES WHO DEAL WITH SUPERPOWER EMBASSIES AS
TRAITORS (REF D). THIS WAS NO COINCIDENCE, CHARGE SAID; IT
COULD ONLY BE SEEN AS A DELIBERATE CAMPAIGN OF INTIMIDATION
TO PREVENT TUNISIANS FROM MEETING EMBASSY REPRESENTATIVES.
ABDALLAH ACQUIESCED THAT THE PUBLICATION OF THE COLUMNS WAS
NOT A COINCIDENCE AND HE DID NOT DISPUTE THAT THE EMBASSY
TUNISIANS WERE BEING WARNED AWAY FROM WAS THE U.S. EMBASSY.
HE ASSERTED THAT THE PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THEIR PUBLICATION WAS
NOT A HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT THE U.S. EMBASSY, HOWEVER.
(NOTE: AS HAD BEEN INDICATED IN A PREVIOUS MFA NONPAPER.
END NOTE.) INSTEAD, HE SUGGESTED THAT "SOME OTHER SEMINAR"
HAD "PROVOKED" THE COLUMNS. CHARGE SAID HE AGREED THAT THE
UNITED STATES AND TUNISIA ENJOY EXCELLENT RELATIONS AND GOOD
COMMUNICATIONS ON IMPORTANT MULTILATERAL ISSUES, BUT THAT WE
ALSO NEEDED FREEDOM TO WORK ON BILATERAL ISSUES ON THE GROUND
IN TUNISIA. LIKE HIM, THE EMBASSY WANTED GOOD RELATIONS --
BUT WITH THE WHOLE GOT, NOT JUST THE MFA.

--------------
PAN-ARAB TV TO BLAME --
OR THE VIRULENTLY ANTI-U.S. ASH-SHOUROUQ?
--------------


8. (C) SHIFTING THE SUBJECT, ABDALLAH EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT
THE INCREASING INFLUENCE IN TUNISIA OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM, A
PHENOMENON THAT HE BLAMED ON THE IRRESPONSIBLE PROGRAMMING OF
PAN-ARAB SATELLITE TV CHANNELS. CHARGE RESPONDED THAT HE
FOUND THE COVERAGE OF ASH-SHOUROUQ, THE TUNISIAN ARABIC DAILY
WITH THE WIDEST CIRCULATION, TO BE JUST AS TROUBLING AS THAT
OF THE SATELLITE TV CHANNELS, SINCE IT WAS SPREADING EXACTLY
THE SAME KIND OF HATRED ABDALLAH HAD HIMSELF ASCRIBED TO
AL-JAZEERA IN AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT THE WEEK BEFORE, WHEN HE
WAS DISCUSSING THE CLOSURE OF TUNISIA'S EMBASSY IN QATAR (REF
E). ABDALLAH CONCEDED CHARGE'S POINT THAT ASH-SHOUROUQ HAS
BEEN "FAWNING" IN ITS COVERAGE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN, AND THAT
THE COMBINATION OF ITS PRO-HIZBALLAH, PRO-ZARQAWI, AND
PRO-NASRALLAH COVERAGE COMBINED TO PRODUCE VIRULENTLY
ANTI-U.S. SCREEDS. HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD COMPLAINED TO
HIS COUNTERPART WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MEDIA RELATIONS.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------

9. (C) DESPITE ABDALLAH'S PROTESTATIONS THAT HE HAD NO
PARTICULAR REASON FOR CALLING THIS MEETING, HIS AGENDA WAS
CLEAR: HE WANTED TO REFOCUS THE EMBASSY'S ATTENTION ON THE
POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, I.E.,
U.S.-TUNISIAN COOPERATION ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, AND AWAY
FROM THORNY DOMESTIC POLITICAL ISSUES THE GOT WOULD MUCH
RATHER WE IGNORE. THE POSITIVE TONE OF THE MEETING WAS
REFRESHING; WE ONLY WISH ABDALLAH WOULD CHANNEL SOME OF THE
ENTHUSIASM WE NOW KNOW HE HARBORS FOR AMERICAN MOVIES LIKE
"TOP GUN" TOWARD A TRULY PRODUCTIVE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP
THAT WOULD ALLOW EMBOFFS TO OPERATE FREELY IN TUNISIA. BY
EMPHASIZING HIS "WARM AND FRIENDLY" EXCHANGES WITH
WASHINGTON-BASED COUNTERPARTS, ABDALLAH ALSO POINTEDLY SOUGHT
TO PORTRAY POST CONCERNS OVER GOT INTERFERENCE IN OUR
ACTIVITIES AS EXAGGERATED AT BEST, IF NOT WHINY AND
MISGUIDED. THE UNSTATED IMPLICATION WAS THE AGE-OLD TUNISIAN
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBASSY AS THE THORN IN THE SIDE OF
OTHERWISE RAPTUROUS BILATERAL RELATIONS. (NOTE: WE HAVE
HEARD THIS FOR SO LONG, ONE BEGINS TO WONDER IF THE GOT
NOTICES THAT AMBASSADORS AND THEIR STAFFS COME AND GO, AND
IT'S ALWAYS SOMEHOW THE "EMBASSY" THAT GETS THE PICTURE
WRONG. END NOTE.)


10. (C) COMMENT, CONT'D. ABDALLAH IS ALWAYS CHARISMATIC AND
CHARMING IN MEETINGS, DISPLAYING AN EASY CONFIDENCE THROUGH
WHICH HE SEEKS TO GIVE HIS INTERLOCUTORS THE IMPRESSION THAT
HE IS REALLY "CONSULTING" WITH THEM. UPON CLOSER
EXAMINATION, HOWEVER, WHAT HE SAYS RARELY OR BARELY DEPARTS
FROM STANDARD GOT TALKING POINTS -- POINTS ABOUT THE GOT'S
SELF-PROJECTED IMAGE OF TUNISIA AS A MODERN, MODERATE,
RESPONSIBLE PARTNER. THEY ALSO HAPPEN TO BE POINTS THAT
ABDALLAH HIMSELF LARGELY CRAFTED DURING HIS YEARS AS THE
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR ENTRUSTED WITH KEEPING THE DOMESTIC
MEDIA STIFLED AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND NGO CRITICISM OF
TUNISIA VIGOROUSLY CHALLENGED AND PUBLICLY REJECTED.
BALLARD