US embassy cable - 99TUNIS5042

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TUNIS 005042 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, TS 
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN CABINET RESHUFFLE:  SOME FAMILIAR FACES, 
SOME NEW FACES 
 
1.  AN EMBASSY CONTACT IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE 
CONFIRMED ON 11/17 RUMORS AND PARTIAL RADIO REPORTS THAT 
PRESIDENT BEN ALI HAS MADE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES IN HIS 
GOVERNMENT: 
 
--  PRIME MINISTER:  MOHAMED GHANNOUCHI, FORMER MINISTER OF 
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT (REPLACING 
HAMED KARAOUI, WHO IS REPORTEDLY RETIRING). 
 
--  FOREIGN MINISTER:  HABIB BEN YAHIA, FORMER MINISTER OF 
DEFENSE AND PREVIOUSLY FOREIGN MINISTER (REPLACING SAID BEN 
MUSTAPHA, WHOSE NEXT POST HAS NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED). 
 
--  DEFENSE MINISTER:  MOHAMED JEGHAM, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF 
OF THE PRESIDENCY, A MINISTERIAL RANK POSITION (REPLACING BEN 
YAHIA, THE NEW FOREIGN MINISTER). 
 
--  INTERIOR MINISTER:  ABDALLAH KALLEL, FORMER JUSTICE 
MINISTER, WHO IS RETURNING TO A POSITION HE HELD PREVIOUSLY 
(REPLACING ALI CHAOUCH, WHO IS REPORTEDLY RETIRING). 
 
--  JUSTICE MINISTER:  BECHIR TEKKARI, FORMER PRESIDING JUDGE 
OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL (REPLACING KALLEL, THE NEW 
INTERIOR MINISTER). 
 
--  MINISTER OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS:  JELLOUL JERIBI, FORMER 
PRESIDENT OF ZEITOUNA UNIVERSITY, TUNISIA'S PRESTIGIOUS 
ISLAMIC SCHOOL (REPLACING ALI CHEBBI, WHOSE NEXT POST, IF 
ANY, IS NOT YET KNOWN). 
 
--  MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION:  SADOK CHAABANE, WHO RAN 
PRESIDENT BEN ALI'S RECENT RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND IS THE 
PRESIDENT OF TUNISIA'S INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES 
(REPLACING DALY JAZI, SEE BELOW). 
 
--  MINISTER OF EDUCATION:  IYADH OUERDINI, FORMER ADVISOR TO 
THE PRESIDENT (REPLACING ABDERRAHIM ZOUARI, WHOSE NEXT POST 
HAS NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED). 
 
--  MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND FOREIGN 
INVESTMENT:  FETHI MERDASSI, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, THE 
SECOND-RANKING OFFICER, IN THAT MINISTRY (REPLACING 
GHANNOUCHI, THE NEW PRIME MINISTER). 
 
--  MINISTER IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE IN CHARGE OF 
HUMAN RIGHTS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND RELATIONS WITH THE CHAMBER 
OF DEPUTIES:  DALY JAZI, FORMER MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 
 THIS IS A NEW POSITION. 
 
--  SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT:  ABDELAZIZ BEN DHIA, 
THE FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATIC 
RALLY (RCD), THE RULING PARTY.  (NOTE:  THE PRESIDENCY HAS 
SEVERAL SPECIAL ADVISORS, AND IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER BEN 
DHIA IS REPLACING SOMEONE OR OCCUPYING A NEW POSITION.) 
 
--  SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE PRESIDENCY:  SLAHADINE CHERIF, 
FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE GOVERNMENT (IN THE PRIME 
MINISTER'S OFFICE).  NOTE:  THIS IS A NEW POSITION, BUT OUR 
CONTACT SPECULATED THAT CHERIF WOULD SERVE A SIMILAR FUNCTION 
AS MOHAMED JEGHAM, THE NEW MINISTER OF DEFENSE, HAD AS CHEF 
DE CABINET IN THE PRESIDENCY. AS NO/NO REPLACEMENT HAD BEEN 
NAMED FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF SLOT. 
 
--  SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE GOVERNMENT:  ABDALLAH KAABI, 
GOVERNOR (NOT MAYOR) OF TUNIS (REPLACING CHERIF, THE NEW 
SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE PRESIDENCY). 
 
--  SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF THE NEWLY CREATED 
NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT FUND "2121":  CHEDLI LAROUSSI. 
 
--  SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: 
ABDELKARIM ZEBIDI (REPLACING MOHAMED BEN HAMED). 
 
--  SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS (THE 
MINISTRY'S SECOND-RANKING POSITION):  SAMIRA BELHAJ, THE 
FORMER HEAD OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF TUNISIAN WOMEN (UNFT), 
IN A NEWLY CREATED POSITION. 
 
--  SECRETARY OF STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH (THE MINISTRY'S 
SECOND-RANKING POSITION):  NAZIHA BEN CHEIKH, FORMERLY (LIKE 
BELHAJ) OF UNFT, IN A NEWLY CREATED POSITION. 
 
2.  THIS LIST MAY/MAY NOT BE COMPREHENSIVE (ALTHOUGH OUR 
CONTACT BELIEVES THAT IT IS AND IT IS IDENTICAL TO A LIST 
WHICH THE EGYPTIAN EMBASSY RECEIVED FROM OTHER SOURCES). 
MORE DETAILS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE COMING DAYS, AND WE 
WILL FOLLOW UP WITH ANALYSIS AND BIO INFORMATION. 
 
3.  NOTEWORTHY IS THE FACT THAT, AS OF NOW, MANY OF THE 
EMBASSY'S CLOSE INTERLOCUTORS ON ISSUES OF PRESSING CONCERN 
HAVE REMAINED IN PLACE:  MINISTER OF COMMERCE MONDHER 
ZENAIDI, WHO IS HEADING TUNISIA'S DELEGATION TO THE WTO; 
MINISTER OF INDUSTRY MONCEF BEN ABDALLAH, WHO WILL ATTEND THE 
AFRICAN ENERGY MINISTERS CONFERENCE IN TUCSON;  AND MINISTER 
OF TRANSPORT HOUCINE CHOUK, WHO WE ARE URGING TO ATTEND THE 
WORLD AVIATION "BEYOND OPEN SKIES" MINISTERIAL IN CHICAGO. 
ALSO UNCHANGED ARE, INTER ALIA, MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS 
AHMED FRIAA, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT FAIZI KEFI, MINISTER OF 
FINANCE TAOUFIK BACCAR, MINISTER OF CULTURE ABDELBAKI 
HERMASSI, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE SADOK RABEH, MINISTER OF 
TOURISM SLAHEDDINE MAAOUI, AND OTHERS.  IN ADDITION, IT IS 
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT KEY INTERLOCUTORS HAVE SIMPLY CHANGED 
PORTFOLIOS, SUCH AS FOREIGN MINISTER HABIB BEN YAHIA AND 
DEFENSE MINISTER JEGHAM.  THE EMBASSY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF 
WORKING WITH THE NEW PRIME MINISTER IN HIS PREVIOUS POSITION. 
 
RAPHEL