TUNISIA ELECTIONS: FOREIGN MINISTER COMPLAINS ABOUT USG CRITICISM, LAMENTS LACK OF CONGRATULATIONS

CONFIDENTIAL 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