Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume XXIV, North Africa

318. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the White House¹

31039.

Cairo, October 14, 1984, 1047Z

White House for the President. Department for SecState Shultz. Department of Defense for DepSecDef Taft. National Security Council for Mr. McFarlane. Personal from Secretary Weinberger. Subject: My Visit to Tunisia.

1. (Secret—Entire text.)

2. I have just completed a 24 hour visit to Tunisia as a guest of the Minister of Defense. Our discussions were remarkably friendly, warm and straightforward, and included talks with the Defense Minister,² Foreign Minister,³ Prime Minister and the President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba.⁴ I passed to President Bourguiba your personal letter⁵ and followed up with an oral message of support and admiration for Bourguiba’s accomplishments in this moderate Arab state from you. He has unbounded admiration for you and for America.

3. The Foreign Minister made three points. He expressed continued dismay at the Oudja union of Qadhafi and King Hassan of Morocco and its impact on the regional balance. I indicated that we followed this very closely and were equally concerned. He then raised Jordan’s restoration of relations with Egypt, but I did not sense any permanent unhappiness that Jordan had broken from Arab League consensus by taking such action. He made it clear that Tunisia has longstanding ties to Egypt and regards its role in the Middle East as pivotal in finding a resolution to the problem of a lasting peace. Lastly, the Foreign Minister expressed his strong hope for flexibility on the part of new Israeli Government in resolving the Palestinian question. I told him that I had high hopes your initiative would now be able to be realized given the new Israeli Government’s decision to withdraw from Lebanon, and Jordan’s action in recognizing Egypt.

4. The majority of the talks concerned Tunisia’s economic problems and, in particular, the difficult burden of debt servicing. Tunisia faces severe demographic problems with approximately 70 percent of the population under 25 years of age. Tunisia faces high unemployment, higher underemployment, and rising expectations from its population. This is combined with the stirrings of Islamic fundamentalism, particularly among the young.

5. Added to these economic difficulties, Tunisia has as its neighbor the unpredictable Libyan, Col. Qadhafi. Qadhafi has been the cause of unrest in Tunisia and is constantly looking for opportunities to destabilize this strategically important country. The Libyan threat drives the need for Tunisia’s military modernization. We have engaged in a five-year plan with Tunisia and have completed 56 percent of it. However, the major thrust of the Defense Minister’s remarks concerned an appeal for better financial terms to help Tunisia meet its security requirements without further damaging Tunisia’s fragile economy. Tunisia’s interest repayments will double within a few years and will soon exceed the amount of annual payments of aid. Although I offered no guarantees, I agreed to explore in Washington the possibility of obtaining better credit terms and additional grant aid, and did reaffirm your commitment to assist both in economic and military terms to our greatest possible extent.

6. President Bourguiba was most effusive in his praise of you. He was complimentary of the support which Tunisia has received from your administration. I mentioned to him that I had recently seen a new biography of President Eisenhower in which Bourguiba was prominently mentioned. It was the Eisenhower administration which was the first to recognize the newly independent Tunisia in 1956. Bourguiba is particularly proud of autographed photographs he has from you and from President Eisenhower.⁶ He also asked me to be sure to convey his warm regards to “Nancy Reagan.”

7. Bourguiba is most distrustful of Qadhafi and very wary of his habit of saying one thing and doing another.

8. The President presented me with a decoration, the grand order of independence, which I accepted in the name of the American people.

9. My final meeting was with Prime Minister Mzali, who is the constitutional successor to President Bourguiba. He primarily stressed economic issues and mentioned that perhaps a commission could be established to review the problem of debt servicing for Tunisia. Additionally, we discussed ship repairs which are performed on Soviet ships in Tunisian yards. This is a big source of foreign exchange and provides approximately 2000 jobs. I indicated that I’d see if the USN could have more of their necessary work performed in Tunisian yards so as to reduce the Soviet presence in Tunisia.

10. In sum, they are looking to us to help them avoid potential domestic unrest as a result of poor economic conditions while they continue to need our help to improve Tunisia’s military capabilities. The question of the post-succession period and Tunisia’s survival as one of the few forces of democracy and one of our few friends in the area also weighs heavily in their minds. In this context, the degree to which we continue our military support and provide economic relief through far better FMS terms may well decide not only Tunisia’s survival but the future of our bilateral relationship. End comment.

Veliotes

1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Africa, Tunisia (02/02/1983–01/28/1984). Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Printed from a copy that indicates the original was received in the White House Situation Room. Poindexter also initialed the telegram.
2. A record of the Weinberger-Baly conversation is in telegram 8028 from Tunis, October 16. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D840659–0022)
3. A record of the Weinberger-Essebsi conversation is in telegram 8027 from Tunis, October 16. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D840659–0013)
4. No record of Weinberger’s conversations with either Mzali or Bourguiba were found.
5. In a September 28 letter, Reagan wrote Bourguiba: “Allow me to reaffirm that the security and territorial integrity of Tunisia are of fundamental importance to the United States. We rely on our strong friendship to help ensure peace and promote stability throughout the region.” (Reagan Library, Near East and South Asia Affairs Directorate, Tunisia 1984 (07/06/1984–11/28/1984))
6. During an October 19 breakfast meeting at the Pentagon, Weinberger told Casey and the other attendees that Bourguiba “was physically weak; that after sitting down it took him awhile before he could bring his hands down to the level of the table; finally, that President Bourguiba spent a great deal of time reading inscriptions on photographs he had been given by earlier US Presidents. The Secretary noted, however, that the people around the President are sharp and energetic.” (Memorandum for the Record, October 19, 1984; Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 89B00224R, Box 11, Mtgs w/ Sec & Dep See Defense (Memos for the Record), May ’81–Dec ’85)