THE Tunisian regime has decided to crush all forms of opposition and will no longer tolerate the existence of organizations which are in the slightest degree independent. This is the real meaning made a string of political concessions to
Bush and Baker: "Libyan law condemns terrorism... The Palace of the People became the seat of liberation movements...
These movements no longer have a raison
LIBYA / TUNISIA d'être. Nothing remains, neither armed of the amendments to the law on associations adopted by the action, nor clandestinity, neither left, nor Chamber of Deputies on March 2, 1992. Marxism, nor Leninism. After having ferociously repressed the fundamentalist movement, the Ben All regime has attacked the revolutionary left, and
The third universal theory has now turned its attention to the democratic associations and in particular the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights
"We continue to teach the third universal (LTDH), guilty in its eyes of having dared to denounce (notably in theory which has nothing to do with vio- two communiqués dated June 14, 1991 and December 12, 1991) lence and terrorism. The Green Book... the flagrant violations of human rights committed by the services envisages a peaceful evolution towards socialism and has supporters in the United The new law envisages the banning of the simultaneous holStates and in Great Britain... The opera- ding of responsibilities in an association and a political party, tions of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) which would oblige the League to "dismiss" those of its leaders, smack more of terrorism than of the elected by its congress, who are also leaders of political organizademands of a liberation struggle... In the tions. Moreover, an association will no longer be free to choose Middle East, the question at the moment is its members according to its own criteria of admission, in other the peace process and it is not in the inter- words, the LDTH will no longer be able to refuse admission to ests of the Palestinians to undertake military action... Bush is not Reagan... Bush is a On the other hand, membership of an association is henceforth gentleman, he is cultivated... capable of forbidden to anybody who has been legally deprived of civil and objectivity. He is a great politician... Baker political rights, which is the case of many militants who have is a moderate and reasonable man - I am spent time in the jails of Bourguiba and Ben Ali. If it does not subreassured that he is at the head of the State mit to this law, the LTDH risks being dissolved. Department" 6 But this possibility has not intimidated the LTDH's leaders: the
And again with regard to France: "We National Council of the organization has denounced the new law wish to alert France to the consequences of and its president, Moncef Marzouki, said at a press conference the policy followed by the United States in that the League would "refuse to function under this law because the Arab world and to the risks that it , adding that "no law or court of justice can would take in blindly backing it. Because impose on an association its mode of functioning or forms of France represents for us the country of law"? Moreover, a collective of associations (composed, alongside
This conciliatory turn has been combi- the League, of women's, students' and lawyers' associations) has ned with the sending of emissaries and an just been set up to organize the response. A committee for the intense media campaign arguing that Libya defence of the LTH has been set up in Tunis, at the initiative of would be ready to put its residents on trial intellectuals and militants of the democratic and left movement. and to condemn them if their guilt was Another committee has been formed at Kairouan. But in the proved. A judge has been named, an inter- context of the current state of demobilization which exists in Tuninational commission of enquiry demanded, sia, these structures remain fragile, something of which the regiand the secret services reorganized. The Jamahiriya's argument is founded on the This new repressive offensive demonstrates once more the prerogatives of sovereign states. purely demagogic character of the democratic professions of faith At the same time, the Libyan regime has by Ben Ali and his acolytes and the urgent need for a campaign of taken precautions by withdrawing its hol- international solidarity in support of the democratic movement dings from European banks® to place them and the Tunisian left in their fight against police repression. The in Bahrein, the United Arab Emirates and Fourth International is already engaged in this struggle. South Korea. Stocks of medicine and food Telegrams of support to the LTDH (Fax: 216 1/793 874) and telehave been built up, the import of certain grams of protest to the President of the Republic directly at the products has been stopped, non-priority projects frozen and the use of the dollar for transactions avoided.
Tripoli is preparing for the worst and it would be difficult for it now to deliver the two men claimed by Washington and London. One of the two accused belongs to the same tribe as the Libyan number two, Abdelassam Jallud, who is supported, it is said, by the 25,000 armed members of the Revolutionary Committees, which call for a jihad against the west.
Extradition of the accused would lead to increased tension between the uncompromising Jalloud and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Snouss-Bechari, who advocates an of the Ministry of the Interior.
members of the governing party.
it is unconstitutional"
membership".
me is aware.
Palace of Carthage. * opening towards imperialism and who can count on the support of a section of the army officers. This combination of tribal complications with difficult political choices explains the bewildering variety of recent positions taken by Qadafi.
The problem for the United States in Libya, as in Iraq, is their lack of a credible alternative to the existing regime: the CIA has made a start in this direction by supporting the contras of Colonel Haftar, directly advised by prince Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the United States. But the only really existing opposition in Libya remains that of the Muslim fundamentalists, the Wahhabites, who are not really to Washington's taste. * 6. El Ahram, December 7,1991. 7. Le Monde, April 8, 1992, interview with Abuziad Omar Dowda. 8. The Libyan government has deposits of $2-3 billion held abroad. Its total liquid holdings were estimated at $6.5 billion on September 30, 1991 (statistics from the Bank of International Settlements in in the Lian of Verment has denied that this 5 Basle estimate is accurate). May 11, 1992 • # 228 International Viewpoint