PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR BEN DHIA RESPONSE TO DEPUTY

S E C R E T TUNIS 000621

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NOFORN
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STATE FOR NEA/FO (GRAY) NEA/MAG (HOPKINS AND HARRIS) AND
S/WCI (WILLIAMSON, MORRISON AND MUBANGU)
NSC FOR CAMPONOVO
DOF FOR MONHEIM
DOD FOR LIOTTA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2017
TAGS: PTER KAWC PINR TS
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR BEN DHIA RESPONSE TO DEPUTY
SECRETARY LETTER ON GUANTANAMO DETAINEES


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REF: A. DEPUTY SECRETARY-BEN DHIA LETTER OF 05/04/2007

B. TUNIS 461

C. TUNIS 306

D. TUNIS 259

E. TUNIS 257

F. TUNIS 193

G. TUNIS 139

H. TUNIS 65

I. SECSTATE 10683

J. 06 TUNIS 2814

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


1. (S/NF) Summary: Foreign Ministry Chief of Staff Hatem
Atallah today provided Ambassador with a letter from
Presidential Advisor Ben Dhia to the Deputy Secretary, in
which Ben Dhia reiterates the GOT's willingness accept the
three Tunisian detainees currently held at Guantanamo
(reftels). The letter notes that the detainees will benefit
from the rights guaranteed by Tunisian law, including
visitation rights, as stipulated by the law. The Ben Dhia
letter does not contradict, but neither does it echo in
written form, the specific assurances Ben Dhia verbally
offered on April 12, as memorialized in the Deputy
Secretary's May 4 letter. End Summary.

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2. (S/NF) MFA Chief of Staff Hatem Atallah convoked the
Ambassador on May 18 to deliver a letter from Minister of
State, Special Advisor to the President Abdelaziz Ben Dhia to
Deputy Secretary Negroponte (Ref A). Ben Dhia's letter,
which is not dated, is in response to the Deputy Secretary's
May 4 letter to Ben Dhia, a letter that memorialized the
assurances Ben Dhia gave to the Ambassador in their April 12
meeting (Ref B). Ambassador alerted Atallah that the target
date for the transfer of the three detainees is June 18. He
noted that PolOff had been seeking to contact MOI POC on this
matter to begin discussions about logistics. Atallah offered
to facilitate this contact.


3. (SBU) Embassy has faxed a copy of the Ben Dhia letter to
NEA/MAG. Following is the Embassy's informal translation of
the Ben Dhia-Negroponte letter:

Begin Text:

Dear Mr. Deputy Secretary of State,

In reference to your letter of May 4, and my meeting on April
12 with US Ambassador in Tunis Robert Godec, I wish to
confirm to you that the Tunisian authorities are prepared to
accept the return of three Tunisians currently (held) at the
Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba.

I am pleased to recall that the return will take place after
confirmation of the identity and nationality of the detainees
in question, given the fact that once they are in Tunisia,
they will benefit from the rights guaranteed by Tunisian law
to all detainees without exception, including visitation
rights as governed by the law in effect.

Finally, I wish to assure you, Mr. Deputy Secretary of State,
of our full collaboration in this matter, in the spirit of
friendship and partnership that we wish to conform to the
excellent relations between our two countries and our mutual
engagements in favor of security, stability and peace in the
region and in the world.

With the assurance of my highest consideration.
/s/
Abdelaziz Ben Dhia
Minister of State, Special Advisor to the President of the
Republic

End Text.


4. (S/NF) Comment: The Ben Dhia letter does not contradict,
but neither does it echo in written form, the specific
assurances Ben Dhia verbally offered on April 12, as
memorialized in the Deputy Secretary's May 4 letter. End
Comment.

GODEC