Tunisia will never recognise Azawad

Tunisia's foreign minister Rafiq Abdelsalam Tunis - Nabil Zaghdoud Tunisia's foreign minister, Rafiq Abdelsalam, has said his government is not too weak or reluctant to implement rule of law in the country, as it was elected by the people. The minister said in an interview with Arabstoday: "This government has the right to apply the law and to protect the public interest, as it is eager to distinguish between freedom and and anarchy," he said referring to the recent clashes between demonstrators and security forces, that marked the Martyrs Day anniversary in Tunisia on April 9. The minister blamed the clashes on "a group that planned to incite violence and send a message to certain foreign powers that freedom is not guaranteed in Tunisia, which is totally untrue". Abdelsalam also talked about some of the major cases handled by his ministry, like the Syrian crisis, the Western-Arab coordination, and recent developments in Mali. AT: What is your comment on the April 9 events and the reaction to it? RA: The entire world knows about the situation in Tunisia, our country has witnessed the first democratic elections in its history. These elections produced an elected government that reflects the people's will, which works according to the law. We are eager to distinguish between freedom and anarchy, and this is what is applied in all the democratic regimes. The right to protest is guaranteed, but it must be exercised according to the law, otherwise the result will be chaos, so the interior minister's decision regarding this issue was completely right. There is a group that planned to incite violence and send a message to certain foreign powers that freedom is not guaranteed in Tunisia, which is totally untrue. Tunisia is an open and democratic country, and the people can now enjoy rights they couldn't in the past. We insisted on creating a professional security institution, that works for the country rather than an elite minority. So I suppose the April 9 events were dealt with according to the law, and if there are any complaints they need to be submitted to the independent committee assigned to investigate the April 9 events. This applies to journalists, politicians, ordinary citizens, and security personnel who were harmed too. This is an elected government, so nobody should think it will be reluctant or too weak to apply the law. AT: What achievements have been made in the fight against corruption? RA: We are keen to fight corruption, and nobody will have immunity against the law whatever their position. We have formed a joint committee between the foreign ministry and the Tunisian Labour Union which will perform a full investigation. Any proven corruption case will be sent to trial without hesitation. AT: The Tunisian government was heavily criticised by the opposition for its position towards the Syrian crisis. What is your response? RA: We expected Tunisian foreign policy to be supported by all Tunisian parties, as it reflects our national interest, rather than any single party's interest. As for our position towards the Syrian crisis, I think it is very clear, we can do nothing but support the Syrian people's demands. What is happening in Syria is the same that happened in Tunisia before. This is a public uprising that calls for the fundamental rights of freedom, dignity and justice. We agreed to host the Friends of Syria convention according to the Arab League's position towards the Syrian crisis. Our approach is based on ensuring Arab and international support for the Syrian people's demands, as well as ensuring the unity and sovereignty of Syria...we will be always committed to these concepts. AT: What is the difference between Arab and international intervention in the Syrian crisis? RA: The Arab role can't be counted as "foreign", as we learnt from the effect of the Tunisian revolution on the Arab region. The fate of each Arab country is intrinsically linked with the other. However, we are against any kind of military intervention. AT: How do you assess the results of the Friends of Syria convention held recently in the Turkish capital? RA: I think this convention adopted almost the same decisions the previous one did in Tunisia, the sole exception being the support to Annan's initiative which did not exist at the time of the Tunisian meeting. However, the basic points in Annan's initiative were also included in the final statement of Tunisia's convention. AT: What is Tunisia's post-revolution stance on Palestine? RA: Palestine's is a general Arab cause, so our position towards it reflects that of the Arab League. It refuses all sorts of violent assaults, settlement operations, and the Judaisation policy against Palestinians. We fully back an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital, and if we are asked to host a convention to support the Palestinian cause as we did for the Syrian crisis, we will surely agree. AT: Recent reports have said that the Western Arab summit will be held in Tunisia? RA: This issue is subject to diplomatic preparations. We initially agreed with our Western Arab brothers (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria and Libya) that Tunisia will host the summit, and suggested next October as a possible date. I think the date will be agreed on soon, and the venue will be Tabarka city (350km northwest of Tunis). AT: How do you assess the developments in North Mali, and how can it affect the security of Tunisia and other West-African Arab countries? RA: We are closely following the developments in northern Mali. There are serious security concerns about separatist movements moving to the border areas of Tunisia and other north African countries, so we are working in coordination with our brothers in Libya and Algeria to protect our borders from this threat. AT: Is it possible for Tunisia to recognise the "Azawad" state in north Mali, in case it is committed to fight terrorism and weapons smuggling? RA: This will never happen, we never recognise separatist movements, we support Mali's unity, along with the unity of all African countries. AT: What happened to negotiations with Iraq about handing over Tunisian detainees there? RA: We have taken great steps in these negotiations. It was initially agreed that the detainees who are not judicially convicted should be released, while those who are imprisoned due to court verdicts will be handed over to Tunisia, to spend their jail terms in Tunisian prisons. I think we will receive some of those detainees in the next few days. AT: So what about the Tunisians detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay? RA: This file is not subject to negotiations, there are some Tunisian citizens detained there, and their cases have to be treated according to international law. However, we will work to release all those who were not proven guilty in terrorist trials. AT: Finally, how will you select the diplomatic corps, especially as the former regime made political loyalty a prerequisite? RA: We will adopt professional criteria for the appointments of all the diplomatic corps positions. They will be selected on the basis of professionalism, efficiency, and integrity, but we are also keen to guarantee a fair share for all the political parties in Tunisia in these appointments.