AN OPPOSITION LEADER'S TAKE ON DEMOCRACY IN TUNISIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000904

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/FO (CARPENTER)
NEA/MAG (HOPKINS/HARRIS); NEA/PI
LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KDEM KPAO TS
SUBJECT: AN OPPOSITION LEADER'S TAKE ON DEMOCRACY IN TUNISIA

REF: A. TUNIS 840


B. 06 TUNIS 2661

Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for Reasons 1.4 b & d

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Summary
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1. (SBU) The Ambassador met with Mustapha Ben Jaafar,
Secretary General of the Democratic Forum for Labor and

SIPDIS
Liberty (FDTL),to discuss Tunisia's political situation, the
link between opposition parties and human rights, and
President Bush's Freedom Agenda on July 3. Although the FDTL
is a registered opposition party, Ben Jaafar noted that the
GOT still seeks to control its activities -- most recently
when police disrupted a June 29th FDTL event. Ben Jaafar
also touched on the threat of Islamic extremism and what aid
he feels the United States can lend Tunisian civil society.
The Ambassador emphasized USG commitment to freedom and to
maintaining close contact with opposition parties and human
rights activists. End summary.

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Lending a Hand to Democracy
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2. (C) During his July 3 courtesy call with FDTL Secretary
General Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the Ambassador expressed his
hope that the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberty (FDTL)
and the Embassy can work together to advance freedom of
expression and association in Tunisia. The Ambassador shared
the text of President Bush's June 5 speech in Prague as a
clear statement of the United States' commitment to promoting
freedom. The Ambassador emphasized the Embassy's commitment
to maintaining close contact with human rights activists and
opposition parties, and asked what assistance the FDTL would
find useful. Ben Jaafar's response was two-fold. First, he
said the Embassy should continue to maintain close contact
with the human rights community. Second, he said that civil
society would benefit from small but concrete measures, such
as advocating the GOT clarify the rules for electoral
candidacy well before elections or promoting electoral
transparency.

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Tunisia Talks the Talk...
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3. (C) In response to the GOT critique that opposition
parties are weak, Ben Jaafar (the FDTL's Secretary General
since it was authorized by the GOT in 2002) responded that
despite the government's verbal homage to democracy, he
believes the GOT is showing the Arab world how to preach the
gospel of freedom while simultaneously denying civil rights.
Ben Jaafar added that the public doesn't know his party's
platform because the GOT harasses its members and prevents
the FDTL from getting its message out. He characterized the
FDTL as a "tolerated opposition party," noting that at a
recent FDTL event (a June 29 seminar on Freedom of
Expression) plainclothes policemen refused to let some
participants enter and assaulted several activists, including
the head of the Tunisian Journalists Union. He concluded
that Tunisia's political system is less a democratic model
than a "democratic myth."

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Opposition Parties and Human Rights
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4. (C) Ben Jaafar clarified that the FDTL does not see
democracy as simply the mechanics of elections, but as an
atmosphere of freedom of expression. Ben Jaafar lamented
that during the lead-up to the 2004 presidential elections,
candidates were given airtime on national television, but had
to make their remarks in front of a judge who censored their
comments before they were aired. He justified the FDTL's
boycott of the October 2004 parliamentary elections by saying
that the party did not mind waging an uphill battle against
better funded larger political opponents, but it would not
engage in pre-determined elections. (Note: Since the FDTL
boycotted the elections, it has no seats in parliament and no
government funding. End Note.)

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Extremist Threat
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5. (C) Ben Jaafar characterized Tunisia as a moderate
country, but cautioned that the GOT's refusal to allow
moderate political opposition encourages extremists who paint
themselves as catalysts for change and the only viable
alternative to the GOT. Ben Jaafar opined that Tunisia owes
its current economic prosperity to investments made in
education and women's rights fifty years ago. However, today
the twin trends of corruption and regressing civil liberties
make the country vulnerable to extreme religious ideology.
He explained that this was one of the reasons the FDTL joined
the October 18 Movement, an alliance of disparate opposition
political groups and activists which includes moderate
Islamists (Ref B). He offered the Movement's affirmation of
women's rights as proof that the group provides a forum for
debate that promotes democratic values and discourages
extremism.

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Comment
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6. (C) The difficulties encountered by the FDTL are similar
to those of many local and international NGOs operating in
Tunisia (see Ref A). Yet, Ben Jaafar avoided directly asking
for Embassy assistance. Thus, like many in Tunisian civil
society, he continues to seek USG support for political
reform, while nonetheless maintaining a clear distance
reflecting their opposition to US policies, e.g. on
Israel/Palestinian territories and Iraq. End comment.
GODEC