President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's interview with La Presse
1-Tunisia and France share a relationship that both see as exemplary. What fields are likely to benefit from its enhancement and greater diversification?
Tunisian-French relations are indeed excellent and special. Over the years, Tunisia and France have managed to develop dense, fruitful cooperation in every field – political, economic, social and cultural. These relations of cooperation and partnership will certainly be stepped up. Tunisia and France have constantly expressed a common wish to advance still further along this path, in the interests of both peoples.
The multifarious and accelerated changes taking place nationally and internationally mean that we need to continuously renew our cooperation instruments in order to adapt them to the two countries' new priorities. Tunisia has undergone deep transformations that have changed it from a developing into an emerging country, with more extensive prospects offered for our cooperation. The environment, biotechnology, scientific research, ICTs, and many other fields can be the subject of a special partnership with France.
2-Tunisia has a community in France who aspire to better residents' conditions. What could be done about this?
Over half a million of our compatriots are living in France, a living illustration of the exemplary nature of Tunisian-French relations and the deep ties that exist between the two countries. The fact that so many Tunisians and French of Tunisian origin have distinguished themselves in France in their various fields, in business, research, medicine, university, artistic creation and many other sectors, is the symbol of how well they are integrated. We are closely following the living conditions of Tunisians in France, and are always keen to make sure they fully enjoy the rights they are guaranteed by law in host countries. Here we are very pleased with the French authorities' positive attitude.
3-The Union for the Mediterranean has been raising a great deal of comment since the countries of the European Union (EU) designed its boundaries in March 2008 in Brussels. According to some, this project is rather vague. What is Tunisia's position as to this project?
From the very start we supported President Nicolas Sarkozy's initiative of a Mediterranean union. We are convinced that the Mediterranean has to be a place of peace, cooperation and solidarity. That is why Tunisia took an active part in crafting and implementing the Barcelona process. In July 1995, Tunisia was the first country of the southern shore of the Mediterranean to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union. Also, since the beginning of this year, it has been the first country of the southern shore to enter into a free trade zone with the European Union.
We are convinced that any initiative that aims at ushering in more dynamic partnerships between the two shores of the Mediterranean can only be beneficial for the peoples of the region. But this does call for real consultation and partnership. The future of the project depends, to a great extent, on the participation, on an equal footing, of all the countries concerned by its construction. In this field, the European Union bears a special responsibility. Tunisia and France, which share the same vision, are determined to work together to put this project into effect.
4-The Israeli-Palestinian conflict certainly remains one of Tunisia's and France's major concerns. What can the two countries do together to help reach a solution?
Tunisia has spared no effort to make a contribution to settling international problems, first and foremost that of the Middle East, and mainly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our support for the just cause of the Palestinian people has been constant; we have ceaselessly defended it at different regional and international gatherings, and have constantly supported every effort that would enable the brotherly Palestinian people to recover its legitimate rights and to establish its independent state.
We are happy to note that France shares with Tunisia this vision of a just, comprehensive peace in the Middle East, leading necessarily to the setting up of a sovereign Palestinian state, that will result in the lasting security and stability of all the peoples of the region. Tunisia, strongly committed to finding an equitable, negotiated solution, which respects international law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, will continue to support any peace initiative that works to this end.
5-In the context of a comprehensive approach to development, Tunisia makes the promotion of human resources central to its policy. What are the prospects of cooperation between the two countries in this field?
Scientific and technical cooperation is one of the most promising fields of our partnership with France. Our two countries have already signed agreements regarding the promotion of human resources and rapprochement between the academic sectors. We intend to step up these partnerships using various instruments such as joint Tunisian-French doctoral schools, intensifying mixed research programs, or developing partner scientific laboratories and technical cooperation between the two countries' research institutes and technological centers.
6-How do you envisage the contribution Tunisia and France are making to enhance the dialogue among civilizations and cultures?
Dialogue among civilizations and cultures - for which we have been constantly calling- is one of the bases of our foreign policy. It springs from our faith in dialogue as a tool for the peaceful settling of disputes and our firm conviction that peace and development can never come about in a context of conflict between civilizations. That is why Tunisia has pushed for so many initiatives at various regional and international gatherings, in order to make tolerance and dialogue between cultures and civilizations the foundation of new international relations that will be more mutually supportive and free from the incomprehensions and misunderstandings cultivated here and there. The cultural heritage based on these values in Tunisia and France is a factor that calls for common effort on the international scene to promote these ideals.
7-Faced by the serious negative consequences that rising oil and food prices can have on the countries of the south, what are the initiatives that the international community should envisage to remedy this situation?
The consequences are indeed serious for the economies of the countries of the south. The international community should find in the negative consequences of this explosion an additional reason for making sure solidarity prevails as a moral duty and a collective responsibility. Without solidarity, the development gap between the North and the South will continually widen and, in the end, this can only have an adverse effect on the international community as a whole. We have to develop mechanisms of solidarity that go further than the traditional assistance to poor countries; this assistance has shown its limits in establishing a true partnership that is beneficial to both the North and the South. It was exactly with this aim that we had called for the creation of a World Solidarity Fund as an instrument for fighting poverty and exclusion. The time has come for each of our states to make a contribution to this Fund so that it can start operating and thus offer new development prospects to the poorer regions in the south of the planet.
I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate President Nicolas Sarkozy, who recently announced a consistent financial support to agriculture in the countries of the south. More than ever before, solidarity and co-development must be allowed to govern international relations.
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