TUNISIA CELEBRATES 7 NOVEMBER; ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TUNIS 11598

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON ELAB PREL TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA CELEBRATES 7 NOVEMBER; ELECTIONS
NEXT APRIL; NATIONAL PACT SIGNED

REF: (A) FBIS LD0711185788; (B) FBIS LD0711163688


1. C O N F I D E N T I A L- ENTIRE TEXT.

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SUMMARY
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2. TUNISIA CELEBRATED THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE
CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT LAST 7 NOVEMBER WITH FESTIVITIES
AND CEREMONIES. TUNISIANS RESPONDED
ENTHUSIASTICALLY. IN AN ADDRESS TO THE CHAMBER OF
DEPUTIES BEN ALI ANNOUNCED THAT PRESIDENTIAL AND
LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD 9 APRIL AND
RECAPITULATED HIS GOVERNMENT'S ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE
PAST YEAR. TOGETHER WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE
LEGAL OPPOSITION AND PROFESSIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATIONS HE SIGNED A "NATIONAL PACT" TO SERVE AS
A UNIFYING CREDO. FOR MOST TUNISIANS BEN ALI HAS
LIVED UP TO THE PROMISES AND EXPECTATIONS EVOKED LAST
YEAR. END SUMMARY.

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7 NOVEMBER: AN OCCASION TO CELEBRATE
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3. THE 7TH OF NOVEMBER WAS THE OCCASION FOR A WIDE
RANGE OF FESTIVITIES AND CEREMONIES. PRESIDENT ZINE
EL ABIDINE BEN ALI HAD SET THE MOOD TWO DAYS BEFORE
ISSUING A CLEMENCY THAT BENEFITED SCORES OF
PRISONERS, INCLUDING SUCH PROMINENT OPPOSITION
FIGURES AS NAJIB CHEBBI AND THE ISLAMIST ABDELFATAH
MOUROU (SEPTEL). STREETS WERE RENAMED, CONFERENCES
HELD, AND PARADES ORGANIZED THROUGHOUT TUNISIA.
(NATIONAL TV SHOWED THE TUNSIAN CONSUL IN LIBYA
INAUGURATING A "7 NOVEMBER AVENUE" IN TRIPOLI.) GOT
LET GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES LEAVE WORK EARLY. UNLIKE
PAST PARADES, THE MILITARY ASPECT DID NOT DOMINATE:
NO WEAPONS WERE DISPLAYED AND NO JETS OVERFLEW THE
PROCESSIONS. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TUNISIA'S
HISTORY, THE LEGAL OPPOSITION PARTIES WERE ALLOWED TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE PARADES: THE YOUTH WINGS OF THE
LEGAL PARTIES HAD FLOATS. THE MOST PROMINENT FOREIGN
DIGNITARY AT THE FESTIVITIES WAS LIBYAN COMMANDANT
KHOUILDY HUMIDI WHO STOOD AT BEN ALI'S SIDE ON THE
VIEWING STAND. HABIB AMMAR, THE RECENTLY FIRED
INTERIOR MINISTER, WAS ALSO PRESENT AND WAS ONE OF 12
RECIPIENTS OF A "ORDER OF 7TH NOVEMBER RIBBON"
AWARDED BY BEN ALI THAT DAY. DIPLOMATS WHO OBSERVED
AMMAR UP CLOSE, HOWEVER, SAID HE LOOKED DRAWN.


4. A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE FESTIVITIES TWO
INDEPENDENT PAPERS ASKED BEN ALI TO TREAT 7TH
NOVEMBER AS AN ORDINARY DAY SO AS TO BREAK
DEFINITIVELY WITH THE PERSONALITY CULT OF THE
BOURGUIBA YEARS. THIS SENTIMENT WAS NOT WIDESPREAD,
HOWEVER, AND THE THOUSANDS WHO ATTENDED THE PARADES,
FIREWORKS, ETC. WERE OBVIOUSLY ENTHUSIASTIC, ALBEIT
LESS BOISTEROUS THAN SUCH CROWDS WERE ON SIMILAR
OCCASIONS DURING THE BOURGUIBA ERA.

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BEN ALI ADDRESSES CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES
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5. IN AN ADDRESS TO THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES (REF A)
THE AFTERNOON OF 7 NOVEMBER PRESIDENT BEN ALI
ANNOUNCED NEW MEASURES AND RECAPITULATED RECENT
ACHIEVEMENTS. HE ANNOUNCED THAT EARLY PRESIDENTIAL
AND GENERAL LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD 9
APRIL 1989. (FYI. THIS SUPPLANTS THE ELECTIONS
SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY AND NOVEMBER 1989. END FYI.)
OTHER MEASURES INCLUDE: A SECRETARIAT OF STATE
CHARGED WITH RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS; A DRAFT LAW
ABOLISHING FORCED LABOR AS A PRISON SENTENCE;
RESTRUCTURED AND ENHANCED GOVERNORATE COUNCILS; A
COMMITTEE TO ENHANCE JUDICIAL AUTHORITY; AND A
SUPREME COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATION.


6. BEN ALI MENTIONED THE RECENT POLITICAL REFORMS
AND THANKED THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE ARAB
ORGANIZATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FOR SELECTING TUNISIA
TO HOST THE ARAB/AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTE. HE
REITERATED GOT'S PLAN TO ARABIZING EDUCATION AND
OUTLINED PLANS TO TACKLE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (SEPTEL),
ESPECIALLY UNEMPLOYMENT: "OUR MAJOR CONCERN". HE
APPEALED TO HIS FELLOW TUNISIANS TO OVERCOME THE
"WAITING ATTITUDE" AND ADMINISTRATIVE SLOWNESS AND
ASKED TRADE UNIONIST TO BREAK WITH THE NEGATIVE
PAST. AS FOR FOREIGN POLICY, HIS GOVERNMENT ASSIGNED
PRIME IMPORTANCE TO THE MAGHREB, HAD REESTABLISHED
THE COUNTRY'S ARAB DIMENSION, AND HAD REINFORCED
LINKS WITH OTHER MUSLIM, AFRICAN, MEDITERRANEAN, AND
NON-ALIGNED STATES. RESPECT FOR MORALITY, HE SAID,
IS BINDING ON EVERYONE. WOMEN, BEING ROLE MODELS FOR
CHILDREN, MUST PROVE THEY ARE WORTHY OF THE RIGHTS
THAT THEY HAVE GAINED. HE CALLED ISLAM A RELIGION OF
TOLERANCE AND TUNISIA'S REFUGE AND ASKED THEOLOGIANS
TO GO HAND IN HAND WITH PROGRESS.

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THE NATIONAL PACT
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7. EARLIER IN THE DAY THE LEGAL POLITICAL PARTIES
AND NATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS SIGNED THE
"NATIONAL PACT" (REF B),A SORT OF NATIONAL CREDO.
THE PACT IS THE JOINT EFFORT OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM
THE LEGAL PARTIES, THE TUNISIAN TRADE UNION
FEDERATION (UGTT),THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (UTICA),
AND A SYMPATHIZER OF THE ISLAMIC TENDENCY MOVEMENT.
OF THE FOUR BROAD TOPICS THAT THE PACT DISCUSSES, THE
ONE ON "IDENTITY" IS THE MOST SPECIFIC. IT AFFIRMS
FORCEFULLY THE NEED FOR ARABIZATION AND REITERATES
TUNISIA'S AVERSION TO POLYGAMY AND SUPPORT FOR EQUAL
RIGHTS FOR WOMEN IN DIVORCE. UNDER THE HEADING
"POLITICAL REGIME" THE NEED FOR RESPECTING HUMAN
RIGHTS AND POLITICAL TOLERANCE IS RESTATED; UNDER
"DEVELOPMENT" THE PACT CALLS ON CITIZENS TO SUBMIT TO
"FISCAL DUTY", ENDORSES AN EQUITABLE SHARING OF
ECONOMIC SACRIFICES, AND ASSIGNS PRIORITY TO
AGRICULTURE. THE "FOREIGN RELATIONS" SECTION AFFIRMS
THE URGENCY OF CREATING AN ARAB MAGHREB AND TUNISIA'S
ATTACHMENT TO NON-ALIGNMENT AND SUPPORT FOR THE UN
AND OAU.

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COMMENT
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8. WHEN TUNISIANS COMPARE BEN ALI'S RECORD WITH THE
PROMISES AND EXPECTATIONS EVOKED LAST YEAR THE
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY BELIEVE HE HAS DELIVERED. GOT
HAS FREED HUNDREDS OF POLITICAL PRISONERS, ENACTED
NUMEROUS POLITICAL REFORMS, AND -- PERHAPS MOST
IMPORTANTLY -- CONVINCED THE AVERAGE MAN THAT IT IS
HONEST AND COMPETENT. SIGNIFICANTLY, THE PASSAGE IN
BEN ALI'S SPEECH BEFORE THE CHAMBER THAT DREW THE
MOST APPLAUSE WAS THE SECTION WHERE HE SAID (ALLUDING
TO HABIB AMMAR),"NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW...THERE IS
NO ROOM FOR THE EXPLOITATIONS OF NEPOTISM AND
FAVORITISM...."

PELLETREAU