VCJCS MAY 5 MEETING WITH DEFMIN MORJANE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000574 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG (MHARRIS AND EHOPKINS) USEUCOM FOR J5 DOD FOR USDP ADMIN/ISA/NESA// E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2017 TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PGOV TS SUBJECT: VCJCS MAY 5 MEETING WITH DEFMIN MORJANE CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ROBERT F. GODEC FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. DURING HIS MAY 4-6 VISIT TO TUNISIA, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ADMIRAL EDMUND GIAMBASTIANI MET WITH MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE KAMEL MORJANE ON MAY 5 TO DISCUSS BILATERAL MILITARY COOPERATION. WHILE NOTING THE POSITIVE BILATERAL MILITARY RELATIONSHIP, MORJANE SAID THAT FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING (FMF) CUTS SUGGEST "SOMETHING IS NOT GOING WELL." (NOTE. TUNISIAS FMF IS PROJECTED TO DECLINE FROM $8.075 MILLION IN FY07 TO $2.064 MILLION IN FY08. END NOTE.) HE STRESSED THAT THE TUNISIAN MILITARY IS FOCUSED ON COUNTERTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS AND BORDER SURVEILLANCE AND IS DEPENDENT ON THE USG FOR SUPPORT. ADM GIAMBASTIANI SAID THAT THE USG APPRECIATES TUNISIAN COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS, BUT URGED FURTHER AND BETTER COOPERATION. THE VCJCS SAID THAT HE WAS PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON TUNISIA'S FMF NEEDS. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) PARTICIPANTS: U.S. -------------- ADMIRAL EDMUND GIAMBASTIANI, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF AMBASSADOR ROBERT F. GODEC COL RONALD TUGGLE, J5 COL ROBERT NOLAN, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT COL BRAD ANDERSON, DATT MARK GORENFLO, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS SUSANNAH COOPER, EMBASSY NOTETAKER TUNISIA -------------- KAMEL MORJANE, MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE ABDELLATIF CHEBBI, MINISTERS CHIEF OF STAFF GEN MAHMOUD BEN MHAMED, AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF GEN MOUHAMED MEDDAB, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF MILITARY SECURITY COL MOHAMED GHORBAL, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION CAPT MOHAMED KHAMMASSI, NAVY HEADQUARTERS ¶3. (C) DURING AN INITIAL PRIVATE MEETING WITH VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ADMIRAL EDMUND GIAMBASTIANI AND AMBASSADOR, MINISTER MORJANE SAID THAT THE ADMIRAL'S VISIT CONFIRMED THE GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND TUNISIA, PARTICULARLY THE TWO MILITARIES. HOWEVER, MORJANE SAID THAT IT APPEARS THAT "SOMETHING IS NOT GOING WELL," IN LIGHT OF THE CUTS IN FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING (FMF) AND THE PROBLEMS WITH DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY. MORJANE STRESSED THAT THE TUNISIAN MILITARY MAY BE CALLED ON TO SUPPORT MINISTRY OF INTERIOR EFFORTS TO COMBAT TERRORISM, BUT THAT THE TUNISIA'S MEANS ARE LIMITED. ADM GIAMBASTIANI TOLD MORJANE THAT HE CONSIDERED FMF FOR TUNISIA TO BE A PRIORITY AND THAT HE IS FOCUSED ON THE ISSUE. ¶4. (C) THE VCJCS SAID THE USG RECOGNIZES THE GOT'S SUCCESS IN TAKING DOWN A TERRORIST GROUP IN DECEMBER/JANUARY, BUT NEEDS MORE AND BETTER COOPERATION ON COUNTERTERRORISM (CT). MORJANE ACKNOWLEDGED THE IMPORTANCE OF COOPERATION, BUT SAID THAT THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR WAS IN CHARGE OF TUNISIA'S CT EFFORTS. ADM GIAMBASTIANI ASKED ABOUT TUNISIA'S VIEWS ON AFRICOM. MORJANE SAID THAT WHILE SOME COUNTRIES IN THE REGION SEE IT AS A MEANS FOR THE UNITED STATES TO CONTROL AFRICA, THERE ARE SOME GOOD REASONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AFRICAN COMMAND THAT WILL FOCUS ON HUMANITARIAN, AS WELL AS MILITARY, ISSUES IN THE CONTINENT. AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT THREE ADDITIONAL UH-1 HELICOPTERS WERE BEING REFURBISHED IN RESPONSE TO THE TUNISIAN MILITARY'S BORDER SURVEILLANCE NEEDS. MORJANE EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION FOR US EFFORTS TO RESPOND TO THESE NEEDS. ¶5. (C) DURING THE GROUP MEETING, MORJANE SAID THAT HE AND HIS MILITARY COLLEAGUES WERE CONCERNED ABOUT DECREASING FMF FUNDING AND SURPRISED BY THE DECISION. HE SAID THAT THE TUNISIAN MILITARY'S PRIORITY IS OPERATIONS AND TRAINING RELATED TO THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM. WHILE THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR IS IN CHARGE OF THIS FIGHT, MORJANE SAID THAT THE JOB OF THE MILITARY IS TO HELP AND SUPPORT THE SECURITY FORCES. MORJANE ADDED THAT THE TUNISIAN ARMY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INTEGRITY OF TUNISIA'S BORDERS AND IS FIGHTING "A COMMON ENEMY," SPECIFICALLY AL-QAEDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB (AQIM). THE MILITARY, PARTICULARLY THE AIR FORCE, IS DEPENDENT ON CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM THE UNITED STATES. ¶6. (C) ADM GIAMBASTIANI TOLD MORJANE THAT HE, THE AMBASSADOR AND THE COUNTRY TEAM SUPPORT FMF AT A LEVEL REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN TUNISIAN MILITARY EFFECTIVENESS. THE ADMIRAL SAID THAT THE USG APPRECIATES THE STRONG MILITARY-TO-MILITARY COOPERATION AND IS CONCERNED ABOUT AQIM. GEN BEN M'HAMED SAID THAT HE HOPED FMF WOULD INCREASE, AS TUNISIA HAD SCHEDULED SOME ACQUISITIONS BASED ON FMF VALUES THAT DID NOT MATERIALIZE. HE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE DELAYS RELATED TO THE UH1 DELIVERIES, AND MORJANE ADDED THAT THE GOT APPRECIATED THE ADMIRAL'S AND AMBASSADOR'S EFFORTS ON DELIVERY TIMES. MORJANE SAID THAT THE MILITARY IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT TUNISIAS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN BORDERS AND THAT IT IS "IMPORTANT TO HAVE MAXIMUM SUPPORT FROM YOU." ¶7. (U) THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CLEARED THIS MESSAGE. GODEC