Office of the Historian

322. Memorandum From Secretary of State Shultz to President Reagan1

Washington, December 3, 1984

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Tunisia.]

2. Meeting with Tunisian Official. Ken Dam met briefly today with Mahmoud Mestiri, Tunisian Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to discuss Libya’s role in North African politics.2 Mestiri suggested that the Morocco-Libya union will persist as long as both Libya and Morocco perceive major problems with Algeria. The Tunisian government does not anticipate a frontal attack from Libya, but subversion will be a fact to deal with so long as Qadhafi is around. Mestiri noted that Qadhafi’s earlier threat to expel as many as 98,000 Tunisian workers is in abeyance pending further bilateral discussions. Although Qadhafi could not expel so many over night, he is capable of such action over time. Massive expulsions would be a disaster for Tunisia. Mestiri also painted a dark picture in discussing the Tunisian economy and financial prospects. He concluded by saying that the situation is “difficult, but in hand” and made a non-specific appeal for “help from our friends.” (C)

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Tunisia.]

  1. Source: Reagan Library, George Shultz Papers, Box President’s Evening Reading, July–December 1984. Secret; Sensitive.↩
  2. In his record of the meeting, Dam wrote: “I also met with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia and the Foreign Trade Minister of Romania, in each case discussing issues involving that country. In the case of the Tunisians, we also discussed Libyan actions in the region, and our analyses of Qadhafi’s policies seemed quite similar—namely, that he is an opportunist who seeks to expand power in any direction whenever at all possible and that therefore Tunisia is not in immediate danger, although Qadhafi is trying to bring pressure on the Tunisian Government.” (Personal Note Prepared by Dam, January 20; Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records: Deputy Secretary Dam’s Official Files, Lot 85D308, Personal Notes of Deputy Secretary—Kenneth W. Dam—Oct. 1984– June 1985)↩