TUNISIA: SARKOZY HIGHLIGHTS MEDITERRANEAN UNION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000949

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA: SARKOZY HIGHLIGHTS MEDITERRANEAN UNION,
LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR STATE VISIT, AND RAISES HUMAN RIGHTS

REF: A. ALGIERS 1004

B. RABAT 1128

C. TUNIS 938

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


1. (C) Summary: French President Sarkozy's July 10-11
working visit to Tunisia, a preview to a State Visit that is
planned to take place in early 2008, was focused largely on
Sarkozy's proposed Euro-Mediterranean Union. The visit gave
the GOT a taste of post-Chirac French foreign policy, which
several observers here have predicted will be characterized
by a more pragmatic approach. Breaking with tradition,
Sarkozy raised the question of human rights with President
Ben Ali, although there are contradictory reports about
whether Sarkozy raised specific cases. End Summary.

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A Bilateral Boost...
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2. (C) Before, during, and after the July 10-11 visit of
French President Sarkozy, the Tunisian media was awash with
laudatory coverage, just as the major thoroughfare between
the Tunis airport and the palace in Carthage was aflutter
with French and Tunisian flags. The GOT -- and the media it
controls -- trumpeted the visit as a great success, and
evidence of the importance of the bilateral relationship.
Like the Algerians (Ref A),Tunisians took pride in being
part of the newly elected President's first visit outside the
EU. The local press also made much of the fact that the two
presidents had both served as Ministers of Interior prior to
assuming their current positions.

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... With an Eye on the Neighbors
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3. (C) While several Tunisian contacts considered Tunisia
"above" the Government of Morocco's "juvenile" reaction when
it learned that Sarkozy's first stop would be Algeria (Ref
B),the Tunisians engaged in their own brand of
one-upsmanship, according to the French PolCouns. He
described how the GOT had jealously guarded Sarkozy's
overnight stay, which was in danger of being lost, once the
Moroccan stop was taken off the itinerary. (Note: Sarkozy
arrived in Tunisia at about 18:00 local time on July 10; he
met with President Ben Ali and attended an official dinner
that evening; he had no official meetings on July 11th,
although Foreign Ministers Kouchner and Abdallah did share a
30-minute breakfast. End Note.) In addition, he said, the
GOT changed its plans for Sarkozy's arrival ceremony, in an
apparent attempt to not be outdone by the Algerians: whereas
it had previously been envisioned that Minister of State and
Presidential Advisor Ben Dhia would meet/greet the French
President, when the TV cameras showed Algerian President
Bouteflika doing the honors in Algiers, it was decided that
Ben Ali and Ben Dhia would both greet Sarkozy in Tunis.

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State Visit Envisioned for Early 2008
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4. (C) Much of the visit was devoted to laying the groundwork
for a State Visit. The French proposed that the visit take
place at some point during the first three months of 2008.
While they have not yet received Tunisian agreement on exact
timing, the GOT did agree to hold a joint preparatory
commission at the ministerial level in early November. Asked
about any other bilateral deliverables the visit had
produced, the French PolCouns confirmed that Sarkozy had
announced a decision to reinforce bilateral cooperation. He
noted, however, that the decision is very much a "decision in
principle," and that the details would have to be ironed out.
In addition, the French have noted that the GOT has taken a
positive tone since the visit. Citing an encouraging message
from Ben Ali on the occasion of Bastille Day, the French
Embassy's assessment is that the GOT is signaling a
willingness to work cooperatively with Sarkozy.

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Mediterranean Union:
An Idea Whose Time Came ... in 2003?
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5. (C) The other main theme of the visit was Sarkozy's vision
for a Mediterranean Union. In addition to briefing the
Tunisians on the concept, the French president called for a
meeting of Mediterranean Heads of State during the first
three months of 2008. Sarkozy explained that he would like
this summit to take place before France assumes the rotating
EU Presidency next July. The French PolCouns said the Med
Union idea was well-received, with the Tunisians indicating
that they want to play a role in fleshing out the concept.
While the Tunisian press gave credit to President Ben Ali for
coming up with the idea many years ago (Note: Tunisia,
together with Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania, first
floated the "5 5" proposal during a 2003 conference in
Tunis that was also attended by representatives of France,
Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Malta. End Note.),the French
PolCouns said there was no linkage between "5 5" and the
Mediterranean Union, which was "Sarkozy's baby." Meanwhile,
several leaders of loyal opposition parties told the
Ambassador that they were skeptical that the Med Union idea
would go anywhere, absent resolution of Algerian-Moroccan
frictions over Western Sahara and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict (Ref C).

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Human Rights: Did He or Didn't He?
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6. (C) The only controversy surrounding the visit concerned
human rights. There were dueling accounts in the
international versus the local press as to whether Sarkozy
had raised specific human rights concerns with Ben Ali.
(Note: Sarkozy had been scheduled to give a press conference
before the 70 members of the traveling press, together with
the local press, at the conclusion of the official dinner.
That appearance was canceled. Instead, Sarkozy gave an
impromptu press conference after returning to his hotel,
where only French journalists were present. End Note.) On
the one hand, Sarkozy was quoted in AFP and several
international publications as saying that he had talked with
President Ben Ali about human rights, and that he had raised
specific cases, including that of jailed activist Mohamed
Abbou. On the other hand, French Ambassador Degallaix gave a
press conference to Tunisian press after the visit in which
he said that it was "altogether normal" that the two Chiefs
of State would discuss all questions, including that of human
rights, but that the French president had not raised
particular cases. When asked which account was correct, the
French PolCouns, who appeared to be repeating rehearsed
talking points, stated, "I cannot contradict what the
president said: He did raise human rights." He continued,
however, that Sarkozy had not specified how he raised the
issue. He added that Sarkozy "did not discuss specific
cases." When asked if perhaps it was FM Kouchner had taken
up the issue of specific cases in his meeting with FM
Abdallah, the French PolCouns pleaded ignorance. "These were
very restricted meetings," he said. He also noted that the
first 20 minutes of the Sarkozy-Ben Ali meeting had been
one-on-one.


7. (C) In addition, civil society groups complained both
publicly and privately that French Secretary of State for
Human Rights Yade, who accompanied Sarkozy, did not meet with
them. One such civil society representative told A/DCM at
the French National Day celebration on July 14 that the human
rights community as a whole was upset, but that he personally
was not so angry that he would boycott the French
festivities. He added that independent activists took little
solace in the fact that Yade had subsequently met with
Souhayr Belhassen, the Tunisian President of the
International Federation for Human Rights, now resident in
Paris.

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Comment
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8. (C/NF) On balance, the GOT is happy with the visit, which,
in its eyes, underscored the importance both countries place
on the bilateral relationship. We were not surprised to hear
that the Mediterranean Union concept was well-received,
albeit with some skepticism, given the GOT's penchant for
self-promotion under the guise of multilateralism and
regional cooperation. Of course, the GOT would have
preferred that the French not raise the sensitive issue of
human rights cases. Indeed, their displeasure may be behind
the fact that Sarkozy's public discussion of the matter was
limited to the foreign press. At any rate, the visit gave
the GOT a taste of the post-Chirac French foreign policy,
which several observers here have noted will be characterized
by a more pragmatic and less personal approach. At the very
least, we are not likely to be hearing a repeat of the now
infamous words of former President Chirac during a 2003 visit
to Tunisia, when he dismissed human rights concerns in
Tunisia, asserting that "the most important human rights are
the rights to be fed, to have health, to be educated and to
be housed." End Comment.


GODEC