US Chargée d'Affaires to Tunisia summoned over Blinken comments

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Jul 2022 09:32
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The US Chargée d'Affaires has been summoned by the Tunisian FM following comments from State Secretary Anthony Blinken and US ambassadorial candidate Joey Hood.

The US Chargée d'Affaires was called by Tunisia's foreign ministry

The US Chargée d'Affaires was called by Tunisia's foreign ministry on Friday to criticize "unacceptable" remarks made by US officials regarding the country's political growth and this week's constitutional vote.

In a statement, the ministry said it had summoned Natasha Franceschi, the Chargée d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Tunisia, to its offices in response to recent comments made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US ambassadorial candidate Joey Hood.

In the statement, Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi denounced the "unacceptable interference in internal national affairs" and expressed "amazement" at the US officials' criticism, which he said did not "at all reflect the reality of the situation in Tunisia".

Earlier in the day, Jerandi discussed the issue with President Kais Saied, who conveyed his "rejection of any form of interference in the internal affairs of the country".

Saied was alluding to remarks, mostly from US officials, condemning the recent referendum on a new constitution, which was passed on Monday by over 95% of voters, despite a 30.5% turnout.

Since the new constitution bolsters the president's authority, Saied's opponents have called for a boycott of the election. The new constitution, according to Blinken’s comment on Thursday, "could weaken Tunisia's democracy and erode respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

"An inclusive and transparent reform process is crucial to restore the confidence of the millions of Tunisians who either did not participate in the referendum or opposed the new constitution," Blinken had to say about the voter turnout.

We strongly support the democratic aspirations of the Tunisian people. An inclusive and transparent reform process is crucial to restore the confidence of the millions of Tunisians who either did not participate in the recent referendum or opposed the new constitution.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 28, 2022

Hood, on the other hand, said in a Senate Foreign Affairs Committee heading on Wednesday that Tunisia had recently "experienced an alarming erosion of democratic norms and fundamental freedoms.

"President Kais Saied's actions over the past year to suspend democratic governance and consolidate executive power have raised serious questions," he added.

The US has become more critical of Saied since he dissolved parliament and took over the courts and election commission on July 25 of last year, claiming the nation was incapable of being governed.

Earlier in the week, the Tunisian Order of Lawyers considered that the US State Department's statement amounted to a "blatant and an infringement of national sovereignty."

This came in a statement issued on Friday by the Tunisian Order of Lawyers, in which it tersely opposed the US remarks, stressing that they violated the diplomatic immunities and privileges stipulated in article 37 of the Vienna Convention.