BEN ALI REPORTEDLY APPROVES DISCUSSIONS ON GOOD

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001355

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/FO (GRAY) AND NEA/MAG (HOPKINS AND HARRIS);
ALSO FOR NSC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM NL UN TS
SUBJECT: BEN ALI REPORTEDLY APPROVES DISCUSSIONS ON GOOD
GOVERNANCE/POLITICAL REFORM: A POSSIBLE POLITICAL OPENING?

REF: A. TUNIS 869

B. TUNIS 698

Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) According to the Dutch Ambassador in Tunis, President
Ben Ali has approved quiet discussions with the UNDP and
Dutch Embassy on possible steps to increase political freedom
and improve governance in Tunisia. The Dutch Ambassador,
Rita Dulci Rahman, briefed Ambassador Godec and French
Ambassador Degallaix on the initiative on October 3. Rahman,
who is working on the project with Sadok Chaabane, President
of the GOT's Economic and Social Council, said the
discussions might include measures that would help to "level
the playing field" for opposition parties in advance of the
2009 elections. The discussions, which are at a very early
stage, reportedly grow out of a Dutch paper on governance
that lays out possible steps, including a "participatory
process of stock-taking and mapping of Tunisian views" about
sustainable democracy; the holding in Tunis in 2008 of a
high-level conference on good governance, to include
participation of international experts; and the creation of a
Sustainable Democracy Committee that would include GOT
officials and civil society representatives, which would be
responsible for making follow-up recommendations on
democratic institution-building. An initial round of
training for GOT officials on improving governance, based on
the ideas in the paper, was reportedly done at the Oslo
Center for Good Governance. It may be followed up. Rahman
intends to propose to the Tunisians that the United States
and France also join the work. End Summary.

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A Possible Opening?
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2. (C) For the past several months, the Dutch Embassy in
Tunis has quietly been working in partnership with UNDP to
promote political and economic reforms, using international
good governance indicators as a vehicle. Dutch Ambassador
Rita Dulci Rahman, together with UN Resident Coordinator (and
UNDP head) Heba Kholy began this process by engaging in a
series of discussions with GOT counterparts about various
governance projects the UNDP has supported in other Arab
countries. These discussions succeeded in piquing the
interest of a small group of pro-reform officials, including
Sadok Chaabane and Prime Ministry officials, who expressed
interest in possible applications of lessons learned from
elsewhere in the Arab world. (Note: A small office in the
Prime Ministry is responsible for overall government reform
efforts. Its mandate includes increasing government
efficiency and improving the GOT's scores in various
international indices. End Note.) A small group of GOT
officials participated in a training program on governance
indicators held earlier this year at the Oslo Center for Good
Governance. The Dutch Embassy funded their participation via
the UNDP. The Dutch and UNDP also plan further training at
the Oslo Center.

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Ben Ali Reportedly On Board
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3. (C) The Dutch Ambassador briefed Ambassador Godec and
French Ambassador Degallaix on October 3. Rahman said that
she had provided Sadok Chaabane, President of the Economic
and Social Council (who is also a former Minister of Justice,
Minister of Higher Education, and Director of the Tunisian
Institute for Strategic Studies),with a copy of a Dutch
authored paper on governance and democracy in Tunisia.
Chaabane later told Rahman that President Ben Ali had read
the paper and was very interested in its proposals. Rahman
said she has also begun speaking with Chaabane and others
about very specific reforms that should be undertaken in
advance of the 2009 elections, including the creation of an
independent electoral commission and ensuring fair access to
media for opposition parties. Rahman noted that Ben Ali,
according to Chaabane, had expressed a specific interest in
guaranteed media time for opposition political parties.


4. (C) The Dutch paper lays out other possible next steps,
including a "participatory process of stock-taking and
mapping of Tunisian views" about sustainable democracy; the

holding in Tunis in 2008 of a high-level conference on good
governance, to include participation of regional and
international experts; and the creation of a Sustainable
Democracy Committee that would include GOT officials and
civil society representatives. Among other things, this
committee would be mandated with developing recommendations
on democratic institution-building.


5. (C) After further discussions, Ben Ali approved Chaabane's
engaging in further discussions with the UNDP and the Dutch
on specific proposals. Chaabane's participation, however, is
to be in his "private capacity." Ben Ali also asked Chaabane
to report back to him directly on the initiative's progress.
The Dutch Ambassador said she would ask Chaabane whether the
GOT would welcome the participation of the US and French
Embassies in this initiative. We discussed the possibility
of American and/or European institutions providing technical
support for reforms. Both the French and US Ambassadors
believed that it would be possible to find ways to pay for
this effort.

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Comment
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6. (C) We support this initiative, which is in line with our
strategy of encouraging political reform in Tunisia. The
fact that Ben Ali has given Chaabane a green light for
discussions appears positive. Chaabane is a very senior GOT
figure and ruling party stalwart, with considerable access.
Moreover, Ben Ali's own comments in recent months (e.g., to
CODEL Tanner) indicate that he genuinely wants to see
stronger opposition parties. Nevertheless, there is certain
to be strong resistance in some quarters in the GOT. There
has been little evidence, so far, of a genuine GOT interest
in leveling the political playing field, as demonstrated by
the continuing efforts to evict the main serious opposition
party from its headquarters and several branch offices.
While we are hopeful this initiative may lead to further
progress, we should not be excessively optimistic. There are
many possible outcomes for this process, some of which would
not be particularly positive. Nevertheless, we have made
clear to both the Dutch Embassy and UNDP colleagues that we
are prepared to be of assistance in any way we can, with or
without an American "face." We will do all we can to
encourage this initiative. It is too early to call this a
political opening. It is, rather, a small thread that we
should follow to its conclusion. End Comment.
GODEC