VZCZCXRO1075
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHTU #0145/01 0541614
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 231614Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7335
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0298

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TUNIS 000145 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2020 
TAGS: PREL MNUC PARM KPAL CASC IR IZ SY TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON PEACE PROCESS, ARAB 
LEAGUE SUMMIT, IRAN, IRAQ, SYRIA 
 
REF: A. STATE 15979 
     ¶B. STATE 12108 
     ¶C. STATE 9124 
     ¶D. 09 STATE 122214 
     ¶E. 09 STATE 120288 
     ¶F. 09 STATE 97443 
 
TUNIS 00000145  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified by Ambassador Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) Foreign Minister Morjane told the Ambassador on 
February 23 that Tunisia remained committed to playing a 
constructive and moderating role in Middle East peace 
efforts.  Morjane also discussed preparations for the Arab 
League summit set to be hosted by Libya in late March, noting 
the Libyans were working hard to ensure good attendance.  The 
Ambassador urged Tunisia's full support for multilateral 
efforts to bring Iran into compliance with its international 
obligations and asked for Tunisia's humanitarian intervention 
on the cases of the three detained U.S. hikers and other 
Americans in Iran.  The Ambassador also underlined the 
importance of the upcoming elections in Iraq and thanked 
Tunisia for a recent training program for Iraqi sanitary 
engineers.  Foreign Minister Morjane welcomed the appointment 
of Robert Ford as the new Ambassador to Syria and hoped that 
improved relations with Damascus would reinforce efforts on 
Iran and Middle East peace.  End summary. 
 
----------------------------- 
Tunisia and Middle East Peace 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C)  The Ambassador told the Foreign Minister that the 
United States was continuing its efforts to restart Middle 
East peace talks and was concerned that rejectionists might 
try to use the upcoming Arab League summit in Libya to 
isolate moderates and undermine the cause of peace. The 
Ambassador asked Morjane whether he thought Damascus-based 
Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal was likely to be invited to the 
summit.  Morjane allowed that this was a current point of 
debate, with one camp arguing that Mishaal's attendance could 
promote reconciliation among Palestinian leaders, and another 
arguing it would simply undermine Abu Mazen. 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador underlined that the U.S. believed that 
Abu Mazen needed to be supported and empowered by his Arab 
colleagues and encouraged to pursue negotiations with Israel. 
 Recalling Tunisia's long history of support for the 
Palestinian Authority (PA), the Ambassador urged that Tunisia 
oppose any steps that would empower Hamas at the expense of 
the PA.  "You know our position," Morjane replied, "if there 
is one Arab country that can speak eye to eye with Israel it 
is us," he stated, recalling President Bourguiba's historic 
1965 speech in Jericho urging a two state solution.  "You can 
rest assured that we will always play a moderating role." 
Welcoming Deputy Special Envoy Hale's potential visit to 
Tunis, Morjane said "we will be very interested to hear if he 
sees any new elements" that might stimulate progress toward 
peace talks. 
 
--------------------- 
More on the AL Summit 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Morjane told the Ambassador that Syrian Vice President 
Shara's February 18 visit to Tunis had been less focused on 
Middle East peace than on "the need for unity" at the Arab 
League Summit, which was more likely to be staged in Sirte 
than Tripoli, Morjane believed.   The Libyans are working 
hard to make the summit a success, but are concerned about 
non-attendance, Morjane observed, noting particular doubt 
about whether (Saudi) King Abdullah would show up.  Qadhafi 
is also keen to ensure attendance from Maghreb heads of 
state, Morjane continued, recalling that Libya also holds the 
chairmanship of the Arab Maghreb Union.  Morjane cautiously 
predicted that President Ben Ali would attend, though he 
stressed no final decision had been made.  If heads of all 
the AMU states are present, "it could be an historic 
opportunity," the Foreign Minister opined.  Next week's 
meeting of the Arab League council in Cairo would probably 
yield clarity in a number of areas, Morjane predicted. 
 
---- 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶5. (C) Drawing on points conveyed in refs A, B, C, and E, the 
 
TUNIS 00000145  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Ambassador urged Tunisian support for continuing multilateral 
efforts to bring Iran into compliance with its obligations 
under international law.  It has been more than four months 
since Under Secretary Burns sat down for talks with Iranian 
counterparts, but Iran has yet to fulfill any of the 
commitments it made in October, the Ambassador lamented.  The 
international community has put forward concrete proposals 
that make clear that no one is trying to deny nuclear power 
or nuclear medicine facilities to Iran, but Tehran has 
responded defiantly, most recently with its announced intent 
to enrich its uranium stocks to 20 percent.  At the end of 
the meeting, the Ambassador passed to Elias Kasri, 
Director-General for Asian and American Affairs, a non-paper 
drawn from ref A, outlining the U.S. response to the latest 
Iranian threat on uranium enrichment. 
 
¶6. (C) The Ambassador also requested that Tunisia urge Iran 
to release three detained U.S. hikers and two detained 
Americans of Iranian descent, on humanitarian grounds, and 
also cooperate in the investigation of the 2007 disappearance 
of Robert Levinson.  Morjane replied sympathetically but did 
not make any commitments. 
 
¶7. (C) Foreign Minister Morjane asserted that Tunisia is 
following closely international diplomatic efforts on Iran 
and is strongly supportive of a peaceful settlement.  "The 
last thing the Gulf region needs is another war," Morjane 
opined, adding that, in Tunisia's view, the issues of Iran, 
Iraq, and Middle East peace were all interlinked, and 
progress or deterioration in any of these tracks would 
directly impact the status of the others. 
 
---- 
Iraq 
---- 
 
¶8. (C) On Iraq, the Ambassador pointed to preparations for 
the March 7 parliamentary elections as a major milestone on 
Iraq's path to stability and normalization.  He asked that 
the Government of Tunisia make a public statement about the 
elections before or right after they take place.  Recalling 
that Tunisia is one of very few Arab countries that have 
maintained a continuous diplomatic presence in Baghdad, the 
Ambassador also praised Tunisia for its training program, 
implemented in late January in cooperation with Japan, for 
Iraqi technicians and engineers managing liquid waste.  This 
sort of practical effort helps contribute to the 
reintegration of Iraq into the region and offers at the same 
time practical assistance that helps the lives of ordinary 
Iraqis.  If Tunisia can provide more assistance in this 
regard it will be noted and appreciated, the Ambassador 
underlined.  "We will move in that direction," Morjane 
affirmed. 
 
----- 
Syria 
----- 
 
¶9. (C) Repeating his view that Iran, Iraq, and the peace 
process are all interlinking issues, Foreign Minister Morjane 
also expressed his satisfaction at news of the appointment of 
Robert Ford as the first U.S. Ambassador in Damascus since 
¶2004.  The Ambassador agreed and recalled that the news 
follows the visit to Damascus last week of Under Secretary 
Burns, the most senior official to visit Syria in several 
years.  These developments improved chances for the eventual 
revitalization of the Syrian-Israeli peace track, the 
Ambassador opined.  Morjane agreed, adding that Turkey was 
well positioned to act as a mediator, both with regard to 
Syria and to Iran. 
 
¶10. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
 
 
GRAY