REACTION TO AND BACKGROUND ON TUNISIA'S NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TUNIS 11327

E.O. 12356:
TAGS: PGOV PINR
SUBJECT: REACTION TO AND BACKGROUND ON TUNISIA'S NEW
PRIME MINISTER AND PARTY LEADER

REF: TUNIS 11130


1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.

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ZINE EL ABIDINE BEN ALI
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2. LOCAL AND FOREIGN REACTION TO ZINE EL ABIDINE BEN
ALI'S APPOINTMENT AS PRIME MINISTER IS GENERALLY
POSITIVE. AT HOME, HE IS RESPECTED AS A COMPETENT
HARD-WORKER SOMEWHAT ALOOF FROM THE USUAL POLITICAL
SQUABBLES. HIS MILITARY BACKGROUND AND TENURE AT THE
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR, HOWEVER, LEAD MANY TUNISIANS TO
SUSPECT A HARDENING OF GOT'S POSITION VIS-A-VIS
DISSENT, AN IMPRESSION THAT BEN ALI'S INITIAL
STATEMENT AND RECENT EDITORIALS BASED ON THAT
STATEMENT HAVE TAKEN PAINS TO DISPEL. THE FOREIGN
MEDIA, INCLUDING SUCH CRITICS OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
IN TUNISIA AS "LE MONDE", HAVE SPOKEN FAVORABLY OF
HIS APPOINTMENT. CHARACTERIZING BEN ALI AS A "STRONG
MAN", LE MONDE OPINED THAT BEN ALI IS THE RIGHT MAN
FOR THE JOB AT THIS TIME. GOT SEEMS PARTICULARLY
GRATIFIED BY THIS ENDORSEMENT FROM THE FOREIGN MEDIA
AND HAS GIVEN IT PROMINENT COVERAGE.


3. ZINE EL ABIDINE BEN ALI WAS BORN AT HAMMAM SOUSSE,
A SMALL TOWN NEAR PRESIDENT BOURGUIBA'S BIRTHPLACE OF
MONASTIR, ON 3 SEPTEMBER 1936. HE STUDIED AT THE
MILITARY ACADEMY OF SAINT-CYR AND THE ARTILLERY
SCHOOL IN CHALONS SUR-MARNE IN FRANCE AND TOOK THE
SENIOR FOREIGN OFFICERS INTELLIGENCE COURSE AT FORT
HOLABIRD, MARYLAND, AND AN ARTILLERY COURSE AT FORT
BLISS, TEXAS. HE BECAME DIRECTOR OF MILITARY
INTELLIGENCE IN 1958, A POSITION HE HELD FOR 16 YEARS
UNDER FOUR DIFFERENT DEFENSE MINISTERS. IN 1974, BEN
ALI WAS SENT AS MILITARY ATTACHE TO RABAT. ACCORDING
TO JEUNE AFRIQUE, THIS APPOINTMENT RESULTED FROM
PRESIDENT BOURGUIBA'S SUSPICIONS WHEN BEN ALI'S NAME
APPEARED ON A LIST OF PROJECTED APPOINTMENTS
RESULTING FROM THE STILL-BORN TUNISIAN/LIBYAN UNION
AGREEMENT. KNOWN FOR HIS DISCIPLINE AND COMPETENCE,
BEN ALI WAS CALLED BACK TO TUNIS TO RUN THE BUREAU OF
NATIONAL SECURITY (SURETE NATIONALE) JUST BEFORE
LABOR STRIFE CULMINATED IN GOT'S VIOLENT CRACKDOWN OF
THE GENERAL STRIKE OF 1978. IN 1980 HE REPORTEDLY
RAN AFOUL OF MRS. WASSILA BOURGUIBA AND WAS SENT AWAY
TO BECOME AMBASSADOR TO POLAND. IN THE AFTERMATH OF
THE VIOLENT BREAD RIOTS OF 1984, BEN ALI WAS RECALLED
TO THE DIRECTORSHIP OF NATIONAL SECURITY. ON 28
APRIL, HE WAS NAMED MINISTER OF INTERIOR AND IN
MID-MAY WAS PROMOTED TO MINISTER OF STATE.


4. WHILE HIS PUBLIC APPEARANCE IS SOMEWHAT AUSTERE,
BEN ALI IN PRIVATE DISPOSES OF CONSIDERABLE CHARM AND
RADIATES CONFIDENCE. IN RECENT MONTHS, HE HAS
INCREASINGLY BEEN CALLED UPON TO EXPLAIN GOT SECURITY
POLICY IN PUBLIC MEETINGS AND WITH THE FOREIGN PRESS
AND HANDLED THESE SITUATIONS WELL. HE HAS LITTLE
EXPERIENCE IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND ECONOMICS, AND WILL
HAVE TO RELY ON HIS MINISTERIAL COLLEAGUES IN THESE
AREAS AT LEAST INITIALLY. HIS TENDENCY FOR
MICRO-MANAGEMENT OF THE SECURITY SERVICE MUST ALSO
CHANGE AS INDICATED BY THE APPOINTMENT OF MOHAMED
KARBOUL, A CAREER INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL, AS
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF NATIONAL SECURITY OCTOBER 6.

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MAHJOUB BEN ALI
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5. MAHJOUB BEN ALI, THE NEW DESTOURIAN SOCIALIST
PARTY (PSD) CHIEF, IS THE MOST PROMINENT OF FIVE OR
SIX HARDLINERS THAT PRESIDENT BOURGUIBA HAS CALLED
BACK TO SERVICE IN THE RECENT MONTHS. REACTION TO
MAHJOUB'S APPOINTMENT IS GENERALLY NEGATIVE. THE
EDUCATED ELITE IN PARTICULAR HAVE A LOW OPINION OF
HIM. THEY SNEER AT HIS LACK OF FORMAL EDUCATION AND
DEEM HIM RIGID AND NARROW-MINDED.


6. MAHJOUB BEN ALI, 62, WAS BORN IN BIZERTE. IN
1952 HE WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF ORGANIZING
PRE-INDEPENDENCE RESISTANCE TO THE FRENCH IN THE
NORTH AND BECAME A PRINCIPAL LEADER OF THE RESISTANCE
MOVEMENT. MAHJOUB LED THE GUERILLA ATTACK ON A
BUSLOAD OF FRENCH CIVILIANS IN 1952 THAT BOURGUIBA
CREDITS WITH SHAKING FRANCE OUT OF ITS COMPLACENCY
ABOUT TUNISIA. HE LED THE NATIONAL GUARD FROM 1956
UNTIL 1967 WHEN HE WAS DISMISSED FOR FAILING TO
CONTROL ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE WAKE OF
THE 6 DAY WAR. HE THEN OCCUPIED A NUMBER OF LESSER
POSITIONS WHERE HE EARNED A REPUTATION FOR
HEAVY-HANDEDNESS. IN THE WAKE OF THE BOMBINGS AT THE
TOURIST HOTELS LAST AUGUST, HE WAS APPOINTED DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF THE PSD IN CHARGE OF THE VIGILANCE
COMMITTEES.


PELLETREAU