Tunis/Brussels, 19/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - Luisa Fernando Rudi Ubeda (EPP, Spain), who recently led a delegation of five MEPs to Tunisia, declared that during her stay she had sought to reassure all Tunisians she held discussions with of the EU's consistent goal of cooperating with North Africa. In a press conference she declared that this cooperation should include important themes such as stability, immigration and the “burning issue” of fighting terrorism. The Tunisian authorities regard cooperation with the EU as a means of dealing with the crisis affecting the textile sector, which is threatened by Chinese competition on the European market, as well as helping to fully apply the association agreement's financial components and support for the country's economy. Ms Ubeda underlines that the “level of economic development (in Tunisia) is well above that of other neighbouring countries in the region”. Nevertheless, she did call for the Tunisian authorities to speed up modernisation of the political, economic and administrative structures of the country. She expressed her wish for the “action plan” agreed with Tunisia, to be applied without delay, notably through the setting up of thematic work groups, including one of the question of human rights. The parliamentary delegation raised the question of direct funding for Tunisian NGOs, which the government is refusing and which is demanding the right to be informed of any operation receiving support from outside the country.
Ms Rudi Ubeda is president of the European Parliamentary Delegation for cooperation with the Maghreb, Libya and the UMA and it was in this capacity that she led the mission to Tunis. During the mission she held work sessions with members of the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies and government. She also met representatives from civil society (women's associations, magistrates, lawyers, journalists etc.) and human rights workers. More particularly, she met the Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH) - both its leaders and a groups which is protesting against its current leadership and whose court actions has blocked the organisation from working. These meetings, therefore, took place in a tense atmosphere. The country's authorities are presenting the divisions at the LTDH (the first human rights organisation created in an Arab country) as an “internal matter”. Ubeda will be drawing conclusions from her different meetings with representatives from the government and opposition and explained that “the question is simple but the answer is not so simple. We met the two parties which have totally different opinions. Speaking for myself and belonging to a party and an organisation, there are always divergences. Resolving them will require both sides sitting down to talk”. Hélène Flautre (French Green), a member of the delegation criticised this affirmation and pointed her finger at the roles of the authorities but did not spare the president of the delegation.
Tunis calls for preliminary “dialogue and exchange of views”
In an official declaration, the Tunisian government regretted that the EU, more specifically the Council of Ministers, had at the beginning of the week given an opinion on the LTDH affair. According to the government there is no objective reason whatsoever for 'concern' regarding the Tunisian League of Human rights. The authorities have always been sympathetic to the durability and founding principles of the LDTH, considering the League as benefiting the country. The public authorities in Tunisia have absolutely nothing to do with the League's situation, which is beset by an internal conflict between its members.