Brussels, 19/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Laura Baeza, the new EU ambassador in Tunis has begun her mission with a meeting at the beginning of the week with the Foreign Minister, in a context of increasing concerns in this country.
Baeza made no comment on the substance of her meetings but sources in Brussels are aware that the commitment made by the EU a year ago on the eve of the October elections of 2011 to speed up economic and financial support for Tunisia to make it into the first “democratic window” in the region with EU support, is being stymied by many different obstacles. In this very perspective, the Commissioner for neighbourhood policy, Stefan Füle, signed two funding agreements last July in Tunis and proposed the relaunch of negotiations for a number of trade agreements, particularly for agricultural products, investment and services. Talks have begun but obstacles have been pointed out with regard to political instability and problems linked to security. Europeans, Americans and Tunisians have all noted a certain administrative and political disorganisation. One diplomat from a member state declared to us that this is a combination of semi-incompetence and a half-hearted approach.
The Tunisian government is also openly suspected by society of manoeuvring to extend its mandate, which is normally limited by a constitutional text and legal notification, through general elections for a second time. Assurances have been provided by the government on a number of occasions but these have often been contradicted by sources within the same party.
Although the head of state, Moncef Marzouki, is a political ally of the Islamist party in power, he has recently stepped up his criticism of Ennahda (the party of the Prime Minister) of controlling state structures. Tunisian civil society also suspected it of a lacklustre approach or even having encouraged fundamentalist activities so as to turn them into a foil and appear as a moderate influence in comparison. These suspicions increased when it supported recent demonstrations against the US embassy over the broadcast of the film about Muhammad, the founding prophet of Islam. This demonstration left four people dead and several injured. The passivity displayed by the forces of law and order was also noticed, particularly those under the control of the minister for home affairs (a member of the Ennahda party.) This climate is beginning to provoke, “widespread concern in the diplomatic missions regarding embassy security and the impunity of offenders (fundamentalists or opportunists, Ed), as well as concerns about other subjects” such as the Constitution and freedom of the press, affirmed one diplomatic source who sought to remain anonymous. The same source added that, “some people are asking whether these incidents were organised as a means to divert attention from the really important questions currently being discussed”. (FB/trans/fl)