INTERNAL DISSENT COULD IMPEDE OPPOSITION PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000188 SIPDIS NEA/MAG (PATTERSON/HAYES); DRL (JOHNSTONE/KLARMAN) LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS SUBJECT: INTERNAL DISSENT COULD IMPEDE OPPOSITION PARTY REF: A. 08 TUNIS 1124 ¶B. 08 TUNIS 864 Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The efforts of the independent opposition Democratic Forum for Labor and Freedom (FDTL) to prepare for presidential and legislative elections in fall 2009 may be derailed by internal dissent. FDTL political bureau member and Editor-in-Chief of FDTL's Arabic weekly Mouatinoun Jelal Lahbib condemned FDTL Secretary General Mustapha Ben Jaafar's recent trip to Europe, accusing Ben Jaafar of seeking foreign support. Ben Jaafar responded with a press release that implied Lahbib's actions were being prompted by the GOT. End Summary. -------------- Tempest in a Teapot -------------- ¶2. (C) Shortly after Mustapha Ben Jaafar, Secretary General of the opposition Democratic Forum for Labor and Freedom (FDTL),returned from Europe, the editor-in-chief of the FDTL's Arabic-weekly Mouatinoun and political bureau member Jelal Lahbib said Ben Jaafar should have stayed in Tunisia instead of meeting with European Parliament members in Paris and Geneva. Lahbib added that Ben Jaafar should have been preparing for the upcoming party congress, and accused him of working for a "foreign agenda." Arabic-weekly al-Hadath, considered to be the mouthpiece of the Ministry of the Interior, published a long article on Lahbib's statement highlighting the discord within the FDTL. ¶3. (C/NF) In response to the accusations levied by Lahbib, the FDTL issued a press release that was also published in the March 26 edition of Mouatinoun. In his statement, Ben Jaafar said that he did not need lessons on patriotism from others. Ben Jaafar said he was responding to Lahbib and those "who were behind him" implying that Lahbib's remarks were prompted by the GOT or the ruling party. Despite numerous attempts by PolOff to contact him, Ben Jaafar could not be reached for additional comment. Former secretary general of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) Nejib Chebbi opined that unlike the pro-government faction within the PDP, he considered Lahbib to be "of the government." PDP Secretary General Maya Jribi expressed a similar sentiment, saying that Lahbib was probably affiliated with "police," meaning he has ties to the Ministry of the Interior. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶4. (C) Ben Jaafar's theory that Lahbib may have been prompted by the GOT, is credible. Individuals with ties to the GOT have been at the center of similar divisions within the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and the National Center for Labor and Freedom (CNLT) (Ref B),among others. Moreover, accusations of being too close to foreign powers are nothing new. Lahbib's statement is significant because it might detract the FDTL from its elections-related agenda. The fact that Ben Jaafar has not been returning our calls is probably indicative that the pressure is having its intended effect. In addition, the Lahbib situation appears to have influenced the FDTL's decision to postpone its party congress until late April. As a small party with limited resources, the FDTL's ability to mount presidential and parliamentary campaigns will be significantly hampered if it also has to devote energy to defending itself against charges of disloyalty. End Comment. Godec