DAS CARPENTER'S MEETING WITH ATCE DIRECTOR ROMDHANI

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000086

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/FO - GRAY, CARPENTER, NEA/PI - ORBACH,
NEA/MAG - HOPKINS, HARRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KMPI PREL TS
SUBJECT: DAS CARPENTER'S MEETING WITH ATCE DIRECTOR ROMDHANI

REF: STATE 3592

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: DURING HIS JANUARY 10-12 VISIT TO TUNIS, NEA
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY J. SCOTT CARPENTER MET WITH
OUSSAMA ROMDHANI, DIRECTOR OF THE TUNISIAN EXTERNAL PRESS
AGENCY (ATCE),ON JANUARY 11. DAS CARPENTER BRIEFED ROMDHANI
ON THE PRESIDENT'S JANUARY 10 SPEECH ON IRAQ. ROMDHANI SAID
THAT VIOLENCE IN IRAQ HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT ON THE REGION AND
THAT PAN-ARAB MEDIA EXACERBATE THE SPREAD OF ANTI-WESTERN
IDEOLOGIES. ROMDHANI NOTED THAT THE TUNISIAN MEDIA LACKS
PROFESSIONALISM AND COULD BENEFIT FROM MEPI PROGRAMS. HE
COMPLAINED THAT LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS WERE FOCUSING ON
THE WRONG ISSUES. WHILE DAS CARPENTER RAISED CONCERN ABOUT
GOT HARASSMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY, ROMDHANI PREDICTABLY
CRITICIZED GOT OPPONENTS' "UNACCEPTABLE ATTITUDES." END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) DAS CARPENTER BEGAN BY BRIEFING ROMDHANI ON PRESIDENT
BUSH'S JANUARY 10 SPEECH ON IRAQ, NOTING WE CANNOT ABANDON
IRAQ (REFTEL). ROMDHANI AGREED THAT DOING SO WOULD BE A
"DISASTER," AND SAID SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IS LIKE A PANDORA'S
BOX. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN IRAQ NOW, SAID ROMDHANI, HAS A
RIPPLE EFFECT EVEN IN NORTH AFRICA. WHILE RADICALS AND
TERRORISTS LIKE AL-QAEDA CLAIM TO BE SUNNI, ROMDHANI NOTED
THEY ARE FROM "NO SIDE." THESE GROUPS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN
DIALOGUE, SAID ROMDHANI. HE SAID THAT EXTREMISTS ARE
BRAINWASHING CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF TUNISIAS YOUTH THROUGH
MOSQUES AND THE INTERNET, AND ENFRANCHISEMENT DOES NOT MAKE
PEOPLE IMMUNE TO EXTREMIST IDEALS. DAS CARPENTER NOTED THAT
MORE POLITICAL SPACE WOULD ALLOW CENTRIST ARGUMENTS TO BE
HEARD AND TO COMBAT EXTREMISM. ROMDHANI AGREED THAT SOME
TUNISIANS ARE "ENTITLED TO CONTRIBUTE" TO SUCH DISCUSSIONS,
BUT THAT EXTREMISTS AND FUNDAMENTALISTS ARE NOT.


3. (C) ROMDHANI WENT ON TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF
PAN-ARAB SATELLITE NETWORKS ON THE TUNISIAN MEDIA, NOTING THE
MIDDLE EAST HAS BECOME A REGIONAL MARKET OF MEDIA MESSAGES.
ROMDHANI SAID THE MIDDLE EAST, MORE THAN NORTH AFRICA, NOW
DICTATES THE AGENDA AND INFLUENCES PUBLIC OPINION IN TUNISIA.
NORTH AFRICANS, HE EXPLAINED, ARE SHY AND TIMID AND
THEREFORE SUFFER FROM AN IMAGE DEFICIT. FURTHER, THE COST OF
ESTABLISHING A MODERATE COUNTERBALANCE TO THESE NETWORKS IS
PROHIBITIVE, SAID ROMDHANI. "PEOPLE WITH MONEY ARE NOT ON
THE RIGHT SIDE," ROMDHANI EXPLAINED, ALTHOUGH THE UNITED
STATES "HAD DONE ITS PART" WITH AL-HURRA.


4. (C) DAS CARPENTER NOTED THAT THERE ARE MEPI PROGRAMS THAT
COULD ADDRESS THE PROFESSIONALISM OF LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS.
ROMDHANI AGREED THAT PROFESSIONALISM IS THE MOST SERIOUS
PROBLEM, BUT THAT NEWSPAPER OWNERS ARE TOO FOCUSED ON THEIR
BOTTOM LINE TO HIRE QUALIFIED, EDUCATED JOURNALISTS. DAS
CARPENTER ASKED ABOUT RECENT EDITORIALS AND GOT STATEMENTS
DENOUNCING THOSE IN CONTACT WITH FOREIGN EMBASSIES AS
TRAITORS. ROMDHANI DODGED THE QUESTION, BLAMING PRIVATE
NEWSPAPERS FOR BEING ANTI-WESTERN AND ANTI-SEMITIC. LOCAL
COVERAGE IS INFLUENCED BY THE REGIONAL MEDIA AGENDA, ARGUED
ROMDHANI, NOTING SOMETIMES ENTIRE STORIES TRANSCRIBED FROM
REGIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS ARE PUBLISHED IN LOCAL PAPERS WITHOUT
PERMISSION.


5. (C) TURNING TO RECENT SECURITY INCIDENTS IN TUNISIA,
ROMDHANI SAID THE CELL INVOLVED "DID NOT REPRESENT MUCH ON
THE POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE" AND HAD NO LOGICAL
MANIFEST. THE FACT THAT THE GROUP WAS REPORTEDLY TARGETING
THE US AND UK EMBASSIES "UNDERLINES OUR COMMON FIGHT" AGAINST
TERRORISM, SAID ROMDHANI. HE ADDED THAT IT IS NOW CLEAR TO
THE TERRORISTS THAT TUNISIA IS A STATE THAT IS VIGILANT AND
IS PRESENT IN ALL OF ITS TERRITORIES.


6. (C) ROMDHANI THEN TURNED TO CRITICIZE "CERTAIN HUMAN
RIGHTS" ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE "MISSING THE PRIORITY." WHILE
NOTING THAT HE WAS NOT SURPRISED THAT "THESE GROUPS ARE
DEFENDING THIS TERRORIST GROUP WITHOUT RECOGNIZING IT COULD
BE DANGEROUS," CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS HAVE A "PROPENSITY TO
COMPLAIN" ABOUT THE GOT. DAS CARPENTER EXPRESSED CONCERN
ABOUT INCREASED REPORTS OF GOT HARASSMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY
ENTITIES. ROMDHANI SAID HE WOULD NOT AGREE, BUT ASSERTED
THAT SOME PROBLEMS RESULT FROM INDIVIDUALS' "UNACCEPTABLE
ATTITUDES." WE AGREE THAT THERE SHOULD BE SPACE FOR ALL
NON-VIOLENT VIEWS, SAID ROMDHANI, AS LONG AS THOSE INVOLVED
DO NOT BREAK THE LAW. ROMDHANI ADDED THAT HE IS CONFIDENT
THAT PEOPLE CAN EXPRESS THEMSELVES FREELY IN TUNISIA.


7. (C) COMMENT: ROMDHANI, WHO IS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR
SHAPING TUNISIA'S PUBLIC IMAGE ABROAD, WAS PREDICTABLY
FOCUSED ON GIVING A RATIONAL AND PRO-WESTERN SPIN ON LOCAL
EVENTS, WHILE GLOSSING OVER THE GOT'S HEAVY-HANDED CONTROLS
OVER SOCIETY. BLAMING EXTREMISM ON MOSQUES, WHICH ARE ALL
GOT CONTROLLED AND STAFFED, AND THE "PRIVATE MEDIA," WHICH IS
GOT INFLUENCED, ARE WEAK ATTEMPTS TO POINT THE FINGER
ELSEWHERE. THIS SPIN IS EVEN LESS CREDIBLE GIVEN ROMDHANI'S
ACCESS TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE GOT, INCLUDING SERVING AS
THE PRESIDENT BEN ALI'S INTERPRETER. FRANK ENGAGEMENT OF
ROMDHANI IS THUS A KEY ASPECT OF OUR FREEDOM AGENDA, AS DAS
CARPENTER'S POINTS ARE LIKELY TO BE REACH KEY GOT
DECISION-MAKERS. AMBASSADOR WILL FOLLOW UP WITH A PRIVATE
MEETING WITH ROMDHANI ON JANUARY 17 AND THE MISSION AND MEPI
OFFICE WILL SEEK TO BRING AN NYU PROGRAM ON ASSISTING MEDIA
TO TUNIS, AS DISCUSSED DURING THE SESSION. END COMMENT.


8. (U) THIS CABLE HAS BEEN CLEARED BY DAS CARPENTER.
GODEC