In Tunis, the parade of French ministers continues. After Christine Lagarde, Laurent Wauquiez, Pierre Lellouche, Nathalie Kociusko-Morizet and Frédéric Lefebvre, it was the turn of the head of French diplomacy Alain Juppe to stand at the head of the Tunisian democracy recovering. The Foreign Minister went there Wednesday and Thursday for a two-day visit.
Three months after the fall of the regime of former president Ben Ali, Tunisia is struggling to find its bearings.Despite elections scheduled on July 24, the country has already experienced two Prime Ministers and the economy is still suffering.
In 2011, various estimates put economic growth in Tunisia between 0 and 1%, weighed down by the very slow recovery of the tourism industry.
Bilateral diplomacy eroded
Beyond its economic aspect, the visit of Alain Juppe in Tunis must be the starting point for normalizing relations between the two countries.Having shown his mistakes in the handling of the case of Tunisia, the Quai d'Orsay - then headed by Michelle Alliot-Marie - has increased clumsiness.
Replacing its ambassador Pierre Ménat, January 26, 2011, had initially been perceived favorably by the Tunisians. The choice of his successor, Boris Boillon, came quickly undermine the efforts of French diplomacy.
Boillon, a close ally of President Sarkozy, was forced to apologize publicly after a series of exchanges unhappy with Tunisians. He specifically described as "stupid" and "nonsense" questions of journalists.Boillon was maintained, but events are regularly held in Tunisia demanding his departure.
Convince the Tunisians that France supports
Three months after the fall of Ben Ali, France has stepped up calls to support the country's economic recovery. But in fact the purse strings are still struggling to extricate itself. All in all, Paris has announced the release of almost anecdotal 350,000 euros under an emergency social assistance to Tunisia.
In Tunis, Alain Juppe's primary mission will be to cope with this heavy legacy and strive to "ensure [its] partners the commitment of France", in his own words.
Court reporters, Alain Juppe tried to emphasize this commitment."Tunisia is not abandoned, he said. We're working hard to help."
On the spot, he must convince its leaders.He should talk to his counterpart Meld Kefi, President Fouad Mebazaa and Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi, but also the presidents of the three committees of the transition.
The investment, the cornerstone of recovery
Saturday on the sidelines of a conference held at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, Alain Juppe called for "massive investment to help countries in democratic transition to restore their economic situation and find a sufficient rate of growth."
A subject on which he should agree with the Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi Tunisian who acknowledged that his country "needs investment for the future" on the air Tuesday FRANCE 24.
This joint effort towards reconciliation is crucial both for Tunisia for France. If the economic stakes are obvious for Tunis, Paris knows that the success of the democratization process of its neighbors is essential trans in several respects: it will give Europe an additional lever in the sensitive issue of illegal immigration, Tunisia, and may also serve as an inspiration to others who know, too, their "Arab Spring".
