FOREIGN
RELATIONS
President
Ben Ali has maintained Tunisia's long-time policy of seeking good
relations with the West, including the United States, while playing
an active role in Arab and African regional bodies. President
Bourguiba took a nonaligned stance but emphasized close relations
with Europe and the United States.
Tunisia
has long been a voice for moderation and realism in the Middle
East. President Bourguiba was the first Arab leader to call for
the recognition of Israel in a speech in Jericho in 1965. Tunisia
served as the headquarters of the Arab League from 1979 to 1990
and hosted the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) headquarters
from 1982 to 1993, when the PLO Executive Committee relocated
to Jericho and the Palestinian Authority was established after
the signing of the Oslo Agreement. (The PLO Political Department
remains in Tunis.) Tunisia consistently has played a moderating
role in the negotiations for a comprehensive Middle East peace.
In 1993, Tunisia was the first Arab country to host an official
Israeli delegation as part of the Middle East peace process and
maintained an Interests Section until the outbreak of the 2000
Intifada. Israeli citizens of Tunisian descent may travel to Tunisia
on their Israeli passports.
Wedged between Algeria and Libya, Tunisia has sought to maintain good relations with its neighbors despite occasionally strained relations. Tunisia and Algeria resolved a longstanding border dispute in 1993 and have cooperated in the construction of a natural gas pipeline through Tunisia that connects Algeria to Italy. In 2002, Tunisia signed an agreement with Algeria to demarcate the maritime frontier between the two countries.
Tunisia's relations with Libya have been erratic since Tunisia annulled a brief agreement to form a union in 1974. Diplomatic relations were broken in 1976, restored in 1977, and deteriorated again in 1980, when Libyan-trained rebels attempted to seize the town of Gafsa. In 1982, the International Court of Justice ruled in Libya's favor in the partition of the oil-rich continental shelf it shares with Tunisia. Libya's 1985 expulsion of Tunisian workers and military threats led Tunisia to sever relations. Relations were normalized again in 1987. While supporting the UN sanctions imposed following airline bombings, Tunisia has been careful to maintain positive relations with her neighbor. Tunisia supported the lifting of UN sanctions against Libya in 2003, and Libya is again becoming a major trading partner, with 2005 exports to Libya valued at $472.2 million and imports at $509.9 million.
Tunisia has supported the development of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), which includes Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Libya. Progress on Maghreb integration remains stymied, however, as a result of bilateral tensions between some member countries. Tunisia has played a positive role in trying to resolve these tensions.
U.S.-TUNISIAN
RELATIONS
The United States has very good relations with Tunisia, which
date back more than 200 years. The United States has maintained
official representation in Tunis almost continuously since 1797,
and the American treaty with Tunisia was signed in 1799. The two
governments are not linked by security treaties, but relations
have been close since Tunisia's independence. U.S.-Tunisian relations
suffered briefly after the 1985 Israeli raid on PLO headquarters
in Tunis, after the 1988 assassination of PLO terrorist Abu Jihad,
and in 1990 during the Gulf War when Tunisia objected to U.S.
intervention following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In each case,
however, relations warmed again quickly, reflecting strong bilateral
ties. The United States and Tunisia have an active schedule of
joint military exercises. U.S. security assistance historically
has played an important role in cementing relations. The U.S.-Tunisian
Joint Military Commission meets annually to discuss military cooperation,
Tunisia's defense modernization program, and other security matters.
The United States first provided economic and technical assistance to Tunisia under a bilateral agreement signed March 26, 1957. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) managed a successful program until its departure in 1994, when Tunisia's economic advances led to the country's "graduation" from USAID funding. Tunisia enthusiastically supported the U.S.-North African Economic Partnership (USNAEP), designed to promote U.S. investment in, and economic integration of, the Maghreb region. The program provided over $4 million in assistance to Tunisia between 2001 and 2003. The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) was launched in 2002 and incorporated the former USNAEP economic reform projects while adding bilateral and regional projects for education reform, civil society development and women's empowerment. In 2004, the MEPI Regional Office opened in Embassy Tunis. The Regional Office is staffed by American diplomats and regional specialists. It is responsible for coordinating MEPI activities in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia in close coordination with the American Embassies in those countries.
American
private assistance has been provided liberally since independence
by foundations, religious groups, universities, and philanthropic
organizations. The U.S. Government has supported Tunisia's efforts
to attract foreign investment. The United States and Tunisia concluded
a bilateral investment treaty in 1990 and an agreement to avoid
double taxation in 1989. In October 2002, the U.S. and Tunisia
signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), and
in October 2003 held the first TIFA Council Meeting in Washington,
DC.
American
firms seeking to invest in Tunisia and export to Tunisia can receive
insurance and financing for their business through U.S. Government
agencies, including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
(OPIC) and the Export-Import Bank. The best prospects for foreigners
interested in the Tunisian market are in high technology, energy,
agribusiness, food processing, medical care and equipment, and
the environmental and tourism sectors.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Robert F. Godec
Deputy Chief of Mission--Marc Desjardins (arrives in August 2007)
Political/Economic Counselor--Dorothy C. Shea
Commercial Attaché--Beth Mitchell
The U.S. Embassy in Tunisia is located in Les Berges du Lac 1053 Tunis, Tunisia (tel: 216-71-107-000, fax: 216-71-107-090).
