OPPOSITION PDP PARTY LEADERS: TUNISIANS DESERVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000545

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/MAG (HOPKINS AND HARRIS)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM TS
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PDP PARTY LEADERS: TUNISIANS DESERVE
MORE POLITICAL FREEDOM

REF: TUNIS 493

CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ROBERT F. GODEC, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: LEADERS OF THE INDEPENDENT OPPOSITION
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) LAMENTED THE COMPLETE
POLITICAL "BLOCKAGE" IN TUNISIA IN A MEETING WITH THE
AMBASSADOR ON APRIL 26. PDP LEADERS, SAID THAT A MOVE TO
ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS AND RAISE ITS PROFILE DOMESTICALLY HAS
BEEN MET WITH INCREASED GOT HARASSMENT. PDP THANKED THE
AMBASSADOR AND THE USG FOR SUPPORT OF DEMOCRATIC REFORM, AND
ENCOURAGED FURTHER PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS TO THIS END.
END SUMMARY.


2. (C) AMBASSADOR PAID A COURTESY CALL ON MAYA JRIBI, PDP
SECRETARY GENERAL AND RACHID KHACHANA, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF PDP

SIPDIS
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER AL-MAWQIF, ON APRIL 26 AT PDP'S TUNIS
HEADQUARTERS. THE MEETING CAME AS THE PDP FACED A APRIL 28
DEADLINE FROM ITS LANDLORD TO SUSPEND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES AT
THEIR HEADQUARTERS OR FACE EVICTION. (NOTE: PDP ALLEGED THE
GOT WAS BEHIND THE LANDLORD'S DEMANDS. AS OF MAY 1, PDP WAS
STILL CONDUCTING ACTIVITIES AS NORMAL IN THEIR HEADQUARTERS.
REF A. END NOTE.)

"COMPLETE BLOCKAGE"
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3. (C) DURING AN HOUR-LONG MEETING, JRIBI AND KHACHANA
DETAILED HOW THE RULING DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUIONAL RALLY (RCD)
PARTY CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN A "COMPLETE BLOCKAGE" OF THE
POLITICAL SYSTEM IN TUNISIA. JRIBI SAID THAT THE HANDFUL OF
INDEPENDENT OPPOSITION ASSOCIATIONS, AND THE TWO INDEPENDENT
OPPOSITION PARTIES (PDP AND THE DEMOCRATIC FORUM FOR
LIBERTIES AND LABOR - FDTL) SUFFER FROM NEAR CONSTANT GOT
HARASSMENT AND OPPRESSION. WHILE NOTING TUNISIAS ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL PROGRESS, JRIBI CAUTIONED THAT DEVELOPMENT IN
THESE AREAS HAD SLOWED TO A STANDSTILL, SINCE PROGRESS WAS
"DIRECTLY RELATED TO HOW POLITICALLY OPEN TUNISIA IS."
RESPONDING TO A QUESTION FROM THE AMBASSADOR ABOUT THE
"DEMOCRATIC PLAN" OFTEN CITED BY GOT INTERLOCUTORS, KHACHANA
INTERJECTED THAT THE PLAN WAS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF A
BROAD-BASE OF TUNISIANS, BUT RATHER A FEW RCD ELITE.
PERHAPS MOST WORRYING, JRIBI CONTINUED, IS THAT "THERE IS NO
OUTLET FOR YOUTH" -- YOUNG TUNISIANS HAVE TWO CHOICES FOR
POLITICAL EXPRESSION: EMIGRATION OR EXTREMISM.

PDP EXPANDS ITS REACH
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4. (C) JRIBI SAID THAT DESPITE THE "SUFFOCATING" POLITICAL
ATMOSPHERE, PDP HAS RAISED ITS PROFILE, AND MORE TUNISIANS
HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE PARTYS ACTIVITIES. JRIBI
SAID THIS INCLUDED NEW YOUTH MEMBERSHIP, AND WOMEN -- A
DEMOGRAPHIC THAT JRIBI, THE FIRST FEMALE POLITICAL PARTY HEAD
IN TUNISIA, WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN ATTRACTING.
KHACHANA SAID THAT THIS RENEWED INTEREST IN THE PARTYS
ACTIVITIES WAS REFLECTED IN THE NUMBER OF TUNISIANS SEEKING
OUT AND READING AL-MAWQIF, WHICH HE SAID HAD INCREASED ITS
CIRCULATION FROM 8,000 TO 10,000 COPIES EACH WEEK.

USG CAN HELP OPPOSITION WITH PUBLIC STATEMENTS
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5. (C) WHEN AMBASSADOR ASKED HOW THE USG COULD ASSIST PDP,
KHACHANA RESPONDED THAT PUBLIC STATEMENTS SUPPORTING
OPPOSITION AND INDEPENDENT CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS AND/OR
CONDEMNING GOT HARRASSMENT SENT STRONG SIGNALS OF
ENCOURAGEMENT AND "MORAL SUPPORT" TO THESE GROUPS. TURNING
TO US POLICY, KHACHANA AND JRIBI BOTH EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR
THE UNITED STATES TO WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ, NOTING THAT WHILE
SUNNI/SHI'A TENSION EXPLAINED PART OF THE CURRENT CONFLICT IN
IRAQ, MUCH OF THE INSTABILITY WAS FUELED BY REACTIONS TO THE
CONTINUED US PRESENCE. AMBASSADOR RESPONDED BY EXPLAINING IN
DETAIL THAT THE ELECTED LEADERS OF IRAQ HAD ASKED FOR A
CONTINUED COALITION MILITARY PRESENCE AND UNDERSCORING THE
IMPORTANCE OF REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE
EFFORT IN IRAQ.

COMMENT
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6. (C) JRIBI AND KHACHANA, ARTICULATE AND ELOQUENT
THROUGHOUT THE MEETING, CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED THE DYNAMISM AND
RESPECT FOR INTELLECTUAL, OPEN DEBATE THAT IS OFTEN MISSING
IN MEETINGS WITH GOT LOYALISTS. WHILE THE GOT FILLS MOST OF
ITS MINISTERIAL AND BUREAUCRATIC RANKS WITH RCD FUNCTIONARIES
WHO STICK TO STANDARD GOT TALKING POINTS, INDEPENDENT,
VIBRANT TUNISIANS SUCH AS JRIBI AND KHACHANA ARE FORCED TO
SEEK WHAT POLITICAL SPACE AND INFLUENCE THEY CAN IN THE RANKS
OF THE MARGINALIZED OPPOSITION PARTIES. WHILE PDP MAY HAVE


RAISED ITS PROFILE SOMEWHAT, IT STILL FACES MEDIA
RESTRICTIONS THAT WILL PREVENT IT FROM GETTING ITS MESSAGE TO
THE GREATER TUNISIAN POPULACE.

BIO NOTE:
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7. (U) JRIBI IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE EL AMOURI INSTITUTE, A
FIRM SPECIALIZING IN MARKETING RESEARCH AND HUMAN RESOURCES
CONSULTING.
GODEC