Qatar grants $20m to Ben Ali’s regime political prisoners

Qatar signs military protocol with Tunisia Tunisia and Qatar continue to draw closer as the two countries have signed a military protocol and a cooperation agreement aimed at enhancing relations between the two countries. Qatar has also announced a grant of $20 million to Tunisia as compensation to the victims of the toppled Ben Ali regime.
Qatari Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hamad Bin Ali al-Attiyah and Tunisia’s National Defence Minister Abdelkarim Zbidi have signed two military cooperation agreements. The agreement ceremony, which took place in Doha, was attended by Tunisian Ambassador to Qatar Mohammed Mundhir Zarif along with a number of high-ranking military figures from both countries.
Controversy has surrounded Qatari-Tunisian relations since the January 14 revolution. Being close to Qatar has even become an accusation levied by both the opposition and government. Relations between the two countries were tense during Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s rule. The former Tunisian dictator withdrew his country’s ambassador from Qatar when al-Jazeera news channel broadcast a program criticising his regime’s ban of the hijab. However, the revolution that toppled Ben Ali has prompted Qatar to rush into Tunisia’s arms and offer its blessings of the historic achievement of the Arab Spring. This provided Tunisia with financial, logistical, economic and especially military support to promote the country’s recovering after the tumult of the Arab Spring.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Crown Prince of Qatar oversaw a seminar for commanders of al-Saqr al-Jarih-3 military training exercise in which Tunisia took part. The exercise was conducted by Qatar with participation by a number of Arab and non-Arab states beginning November 6.
Military visits between the commanders of the two countries have been frequent since the January 14 revolution. Qatari Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hamad Bin Ali al-Attiyah paid a secret visit to Tunisia in April, followed four days later by a surprise return visit by a Tunisian military delegation headed by Defence Minister Abdelkarim Zbidi and Tunisia’s Chief of Staff Corps General Rachid Ammar. The delegation remained in Qatar for two days.
But Qatar (who has been a prominent supporter of the fall of the Ben Ali regime and Arab Spring revolutions in general) hosted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s son-in-law Mohamed Sakhr El Materi, who has financial links to Qatari businessmen. This gave the Tunisian opposition justification for its mistrust of Qatar.
Economically, Qatar is extremely active on the post-revolutionary Tunisian arena, with controlling shares in one of the country’s biggest telecom companies. Qatari investments in Tunisia have also doubled after the revolution.
Tunisia’s Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Ben Salem has also been in Doha to take part in the two-day International Conference on Food Security in Dry Lands which ended last week. The conference regulates Qatar’s food security program in cooperation with a number of local, regional and international partnering bodies. The conference was attended by over 400 participants from 50 countries, including over 40 ministers, deputy ministers and heads of international and regional organizations such as the United Nations and the World Food and Agriculture Organisation, along with local institutions.
The visiting agriculture minister did not shy from expressing his thanks and gratitude to Qatar, referring to it recently as “a friend to Tunisia, not only to the Ennahda Movement.” He also praised the role of the al-Jazeera channel in exposing the toppled regime’s scandals.
Leaked footage of Jebali reveals his anxiety about discussing relations with Qatar, which he said has become “a more serious accusation than the crime of normalising relations with Israel.” The opposition constantly levies the charge against Ennahda of relying on “Qatari money” to win the previous elections. A source close to the Emir of Qatar has said that Hamad brags to his inner circle about his control of Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, also allegedly expressing a desire to stretch his authority over the region.
Unlike the case with Qatar, Algerian-Tunisian relations cooled considerable after the fall of the Ben Ali regime. It is known that Algeria opposes what is known as the “Arab Spring,” either for fear of falling victim to the same wave of revolutionary fervour, or in general opposition to the events that Algerian leaders believe to be a conspiracy to occupy the region.
Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali is expected to pay his first official visit to Algeria on December 3 and 4, heading a large delegation of ministers and businessmen. Revival of joint economic committees is expected to top the visit’s agenda, along with reactivating border-zone projects. The visit will also focus on creating a united front on such regional subjects as the rejection of military intervention in the north of Mali as Tunisia supports Algeria’s preference for dialogue.
Media reports previously indicated that Algerian authorities had refused to receive the Tunisian Prime Minister due what was considered interference in internal matters by the Ennahda Movement. A prominent member of Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN) had accused Ennahda of backing Islamist parties in the Algerian legislative election. Although the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated movement has denied the accusation, it continues to cast a shadow on joint relations. Algeria turned down Jebali’s former request for a visit claiming that the country was awaiting the formation of a new cabinet.
Jebali has accused parties that he refused to name of working to sabotage Tunisia’s relationship with Algeria as well as Turkey and Qatar.
Those who believe in “scorched-earth policy,” the PM said, were behind the rumours spread by some media outlets, referring to news published by some Tunisian newspapers indicating Algeria’s discomfort with Ennahda’s rise to power. Jebali also denied the truth of a statement attributed to FLN chief Abdelaziz Belkhadem threatening Algerian interference in Tunisian affairs.
The meeting that has brought together Ennahda chief Rachid Ghannouchi and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has served to re-establish cordial relations. The meeting enabled Algeria to formulate a clear position on the Tunisian revolution as Bouteflika congratulated the Tunisian people for what he referred to as their “democratic choice.”