Office of the Historian

347. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Tunisia1

398326.
Washington, December 25, 1986, 0531Z

SUBJECT

  • Letter to FonMin on Security Assistance Levels for Tunisia.

1. Confidential—Entire text.

2. Embassy is requested to deliver letter from Secretary Shultz to FonMin Hedi Mabrouk as follow-up to notification of FY 87 security assistance allocation for Tunisia (being provided septel).2

3. Begin text.

Dear Mr. Foreign Minister:

Ambassador Sebastian will have informed you on United States Government assistance to be made available for Tunisia in FY 87. [Page 722] The assistance to be extended to Tunisia reflects severe cutbacks mandated by Congress for both military programs and the economic support fund.

Our friends and allies should understand that a strong and vibrant US economy is essential, not just to our own security and prosperity but to economic stability and growth throughout the world. Federal expenditures have an important effect on the state of our economy, and this year the Congress took steps to impose some discipline on the levels of expenditure in the Federal budget. The result is that the total budget that the Congress approved for fiscal year 1987 is considerably less than that which the President originally requested.

I do not take issue with the principle that we must curb expenditures and adhere to budget limitations. I believe, however, that the foreign affairs portion of the budget has absorbed more than an equitable share of this year’s reductions. I intend to do everything I can to restore our foreign affairs programs to equitable levels.

I recognize that the reduced economic assistance levels came at a time when your government is proceeding with implementation of its courageous and difficult economic structural adjustment plan. We need, therefore, to work particularly closely with your government to devise ways in which these resources can best be utilized to support this endeavor.

With respect to military assistance, while it has not been possible to meet our planned levels, we have been able to follow through on our commitment to President Bourguiba for greater concessionality. Military funding for fiscal year 1987 will be on a totally grant basis.

Mr. Minister, reduced levels of United States assistance do not reflect any lessening of our commitment to Tunisia’s security and economic wellbeing. Our shared interest in those objectives remains the cornerstone of our close and cooperative bilateral relationship.

Sincerely yours, George Shultz

End text.

4. There will be no signed original.

Armacost
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, [no D number]. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Rosemary O’Neill (NEA/AFN); cleared by Zweifel, Ussery, Marion Creekmore (NEA), Hawes (PM), Robert Bauerlein (T), Donald Adams (AID/PPC/PB), Mueller (S/S), Peter Covington (S/S–O), Gaffney (DOD), Irwin Pernick, and Marc Grossman (D); approved by Shultz.↩
  2. Not found.↩