TUNISIA ELECTIONS: FOREIGN MINISTER COMPLAINS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000796

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA ELECTIONS: FOREIGN MINISTER COMPLAINS
ABOUT USG CRITICISM, LAMENTS LACK OF CONGRATULATIONS

REF: A. TUNIS 792

B. TUNIS 791

C. TUNIS 789

D. TUNIS 784 AND PREVIOUS

Classified by Ambassador Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: Foreign Minister Abdallah convoked the
Ambassador on October 28 to express Tunisia's surprise and
disappointment at the Department spokesman's October 26
remarks on Tunisia's elections. Abdallah specifically
rejected as "false" the notion that international observers
had not been allowed to participate, noting the presence of
an observation mission from the African Union, and other
invited foreign observers. The Foreign Minister also
lamented the conspicuous absence of a congratulatory message
from President Obama which, he asserted, had been noticed on
the Tunisian street and was "a shame." The Ambassador
responded that his principal concern about the elections was
not the observation question, but rather the GOT's imposition
of restrictions and limitations on opposition candidates,
which had seriously curtailed the element of competition.
The Ambassador underlined that despite our differences on
this subject, the USG remained committed to its partnership
with Tunisia on numerous issues of common concern. We do not
assess that this disagreement will result in any sustained
damage to our bilateral ties. End summary.


2. (C) Foreign Minister Abdallah convoked the Ambassador on
the afternoon of October 28. That morning, TAP, Tunisia's
official press agency, circulated an official response to the
Department spokesman's October 26 response to a question at
the noon press briefing, expressing the USG's concern that
Tunisia had not invited independent and credible
international observers to participate in the country's
October 25 presidential and legislative elections. As
expected, the elections, and the lack of a congratulatory
message from President Obama, were the subjects the Foreign
Minister wished to discuss with the Ambassador.


3. (C) Abdallah opened by expressing appreciation for the
spokesman's affirmation that the USG values its relationship
with Tunisia and is committed to continuing and deepening
bilateral cooperation. However, "we were very surprised" to
hear the expression of U.S. concern about the elections, he
said. Tunisia's October 25 elections were staged in a
"festive atmosphere," with "impeccable organization," and in
a "spirit of liberty and transparency," the Foreign Minister
insisted. The notion that international observers had not
been invited to participate was plainly false, Abdallah
continued, passing the Ambassador a list of 30 international
observers hosted by the GOT, pointing out that the observers
"were not only from 'brotherly' Arab states." (Note: The
list includes nine "personalities" from Europe, one from
Japan, one from Turkey, eleven from Arab states, and eight
from Sub-Saharan Africa. We have never heard of any of them.
End note.)


4. (C) Abdallah also passed the Ambassador copy of the
"preliminary declaration" of the African Union (AU) observer
mission, led by former Congolese Foreign Minister Benjamin
Bounkoulou. The Foreign Minister pointed out that the AU
declaration (which is an extremely brief and vague document)
concluded that Tunisia's electoral campaign had been
undertaken "in calm and serenity" and that the voting had
occurred "with liberty and regularity."


5. (C) Tunisian law prohibits the visits of diplomats to
polling stations, the Foreign Minister claimed. Nonetheless,
Abdallah continued, domestic observers were present. In
addition to the "independent" National Elections Observatory,
political party observers are authorized to watch ballotting
in any and all polling stations. "I myself voted in Monastir
(100 miles south of Tunis) and noted the presence in my
station of an observer from Tajdid (the party of Ahmed
Brahim, President Ben Ali's only truly independent
opponent)."


6. (C) "I will not hide that there has been commentary," the
Foreign Minister continued, about the absence of a
congratulatory message from President Obama. This has given
the Tunisian public the impression that the U.S. was not
satisfied with the conduct of the elections and this is a
shame, Abdallah added. "I presume the State Department has
been listening" to "persons who spread stories and lies"
about their country, the Foreign Minister added, echoing
President Ben Ali's reference (perceived as ominous by civil
society activists) in his "eve of the elections" address to
the nation, to the "tiny number of Tunisians" betraying their
country by spreading lies to foreigners (ref B).


7. (C) Implying some level of Tunisian resentment at
unfavorable international scrutiny of its election system,
the Foreign Minister underlined, "this is the twelfth time
since independence that we have staged elections... We have
constitutional procedures... The Constitutional Council,
(which administered the elections) functions in full
transparence, as did the independent national elections
observatory, which has issued its findings..." He continued:
"I am speaking to you directly and frankly about these issues
because you are your government's eyes here in Tunisia,"
Abdallah stated. "I consider the relationship between our
two countries to be very important... President Ben Ali
considers this relationship very important."


8. (C) Responding, the Ambassador thanked Abdallah for his
frank presentation and emphasized that he did not consider
the question of international observation of elections to be
the core issue. A number of Embassy officers had themselves
circulated throughout Tunisia on election day to have a look
for themselves at the process, he added. It was true,
however, that the USG did have reservations about Tunisia's
elections process. Presidential candidates did not have
equal access to the media. Legislative candidates were
disqualified, without explanation. Also, the GOT's 2008
election law put a damper on open competition by excluding
certain personalities from running for president.


9. (C) Referring to his own background as a professor of law,
the Minister retorted that Tunisia's laws were modeled on
France's, rather than "Anglo-Saxon" concepts of governance.
Tunisia does not have, like the U.S., a system of primary
elections to boil the field down to two principal
competitors. Some parameters must be imposed to exclude
frivolous candidates, Abdallah averred. The Ambassador
replied that competition would have been better served if it
were left to the parties to choose their own candidates
without government intervention. "There are indeed other
ways of looking at this question," Abdallah responded in a
conciliatory tone.


10. (C) The Ambassador underlined that in spite of our
differences on elections, the U.S. continued to look to
Tunisia as an important partner. We have many shared
interests and shared points of view, and we should not lose
sight of these as we move forward, he stated.


11. (C) Comment: While the Tunisian MFA's public retort to
the spokesman's October 26 remarks clearly indicate Tunisian
pique, and the Minister did not hide the GOT's disappointment
at the absence of a congratulatory message, Abdallah's
overall tone in this conversation was more one of sorrow than
one of anger. We do not anticipate that this disagreement
will do any sustained damage to our bilateral relationship.
End comment.
GRAY