Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TUNIS938
2007-07-16 09:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tunis
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH THE LOYAL OPPOSITION

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0938/01 1970948
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 160948Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3502
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1319
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1792
C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000938 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH THE LOYAL OPPOSITION

REF: A. TUNIS 904


B. TUNIS 545

C. TUNIS 330

D. 06 TUNIS 1658

E. 06 TUNIS 730

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

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000938

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH THE LOYAL OPPOSITION

REF: A. TUNIS 904


B. TUNIS 545

C. TUNIS 330

D. 06 TUNIS 1658

E. 06 TUNIS 730

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

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) On July 10 the Ambassador met with three opposition
party leaders: Mohamed Bouchiha (Secretary General of the
Popular Unity Party or PUP),Mongi Khamassi (Secretary
General of the Green Party for Progress or PVP),and Mondher
Thabet (Secretary General of the Liberal Social Party or
PSL). The Ambassador emphasized USG commitment to advancing
freedom and shared copies of President Bush's June 5 speech
in Prague. The party leaders, who are considered GOT-loyal,
opined that freedom of expression and association are not
problems in Tunisia. They admitted, however, that the GOT
should not be blocking websites such as Amnesty
International's. The group also shared their thoughts on
Iraq, Israeli/Palestinian issues, and French President
Sarkozy's July 10-11 visit to Tunisia (septel). End summary.

--------------
The Democratic Alliance
--------------


2. (C) The Ambassador discussed Tunisian politics and the
status of civil liberty with the Secretaries General of the
PUP, PVP, and PSL. (Unlike independent parties (Refs A and
B),the PUP, PVP, and PSL are all represented in the Chamber
of Deputies, therefore they receive GOT party subsidies.)
They are all considered GOT-loyal opposition parties, and the
tone of the discussion was markedly different. In 2006 they,
along with the United Democratic Union (UDU),created a
coalition called the Democratic Alliance. (Note: UDU was
invited but declined to send a representative to this
meeting. End Note.) Thabet clarified that the parties
coordinate their political activities, but not economic
issues. He explained that the Democratic Alliance seeks to
benefit from President Ben Ali's great popularity, evidenced

by his winning 94 percent of the vote during the 2004
presidential elections, by working with the GOT to advance
Tunisian interests. (Note: Bouchiha also ran in 2004 and won
3.78 percent of votes.)

--------------
Freedom of the Press
--------------


3. (C) The Ambassador raised the subject of freedom of the
press. Bouchiha, who appeared to be the Alliance's primary
spokesperson, responded that he feels there is complete
freedom of the press in Tunisia (Note: Many international
organizations including the International Freedom of
Expression Institute, Reporters Without Borders, and Freedom
House characterize the press situation as not free. End
Note.) Thabet allowed that there might be issues with
freedom of the press, but ascribed any difficulties to a lack
of funding and professionalism. Khamassi said problems
regarding press freedom stem from those "guilty" of
publishing "inaccurate" or "defamatory" information.
Bouchiha concurred, offering Mohamed Abbou as an example of
someone guilty of defamation, thus implicitly implying
Abbou's sentence was justified. (Note: Attorney Mohamed
Abbou (Refs D and E) was convicted in 2005 of "defamation of
the judicial system" and sentenced to prison after he
published an article on the Internet critical of President
Ben Ali and compared Tunisian prisons to Abu Ghraib. End
Note.) However, when the Ambassador raised the subject of
blocked Internet sites, Thabet and Bouchiha both
characterized blocking Amnesty International (AI) as a "bad
reaction," and said access should be allowed.

--------------
Civil Society
--------------


4. (C) The conversation then turned to the difficulties of
the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH),whose activities
have been blocked by legal problems for several years.
(Note: Plaintiffs, including Bouchiha's wife, allege that
LTDH President Mokhtar Trifi unjustly consolidated regional
branches to weaken pro-GOT elements within the organization
(Ref C). End Note.) Not surprisingly, Bouchiha argued that
Trifi's actions divided the LTDH, and considered it an
internal matter to be handled by LTDH members. More broadly,
Bouchiha maintained that he did not believe organizations had
any difficulty legally registering in Tunisia (Note: The
Association of the Jewish Community of Tunisia, among others,
has been waiting for registration since 1999. End Note.)

--------------
Regional Issues
--------------


5. (C) Bouchiha quickly turned the discussion to Iraq and
the Israeli/Palestinian issue. He expounded at length on the
unpopularity of US actions in Iraq in the Arab world, and
criticized the United States for not doing more to resolve
the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territory.
Bouchiha added that UDU Secretary General Ahmed Inoubli
declined the Ambassador's invitation for a meeting because
his constituency was upset about US actions in Iraq. The
Ambassador assured Bouchiha that peace in the Middle East is
a priority for the United States. He pointed out that the
parties to the conflict must play a role in finding a
solution. Moreover, the international community, working in
conjunction with the Arab World, must also contribute.

--------------
Foreign Relations
--------------


6. (C) When the Ambassador asked what assistance the United
States could offer, Bouchiha answered for the group. Though
he spoke about other subjects at great length, Bouchiha
responded relatively briefly that the United States should
promote economic development and provide more opportunities
for citizen exchanges. In this context, he noted several
times that he himself had visited the United States seven
times. The Ambassador emphasized USG commitment to both
economic development and social reform, and shared copies of
President Bush's June 5 speech in Prague. The Ambassador
asked the group, all of whom attended President Ben Ali's
July 10 state dinner for French President Sarkozy, for their
thoughts on Sarkozy's visit. Bouchiha felt that it had been
a positive and productive visit, though Thabet opined that
Sarkozy's proposed Mediterranean Union would not be
successful. He explained that he thought interests of the
countries comprising the proposed union are too diverse to
make the organization feasible. Moreover, he said, the
Moroccan-Algerian problems over the Western Sahara and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have to be resolved before
a Euro-Med Union could go anywhere.

--------------
Comment
--------------


7. (C) There is a clear pecking order within the Democratic
Alliance with Bouchiha (who is the First Lady's cousin) at
the top and Khamassi, who had a hard time getting a word in
edge-wise, at the bottom. The PSL's Thabet would
occasionally make a play for the "alpha" position, and indeed
his interventions were more articulate. But, time and again
in the 90-minute session, Bouchiha outmaneuvered him to keep
the lead, if only by speaking more loudly. At points Thabet
and Bouchiha talked over Khamassi, and twice contradicted
him, pointing out that he was incorrect or mistaken. As a
whole, the group's stance on issues conformed to GOT-policy,
with the notable exception of admitting that the Amnesty
International website should not be blocked. End comment.
GODEC