Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Tunis Carthage, January 15, 2004 In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Mr. Doyen, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my pleasure to meet with you at the beginning of the new year to exchange wishes with you, and to entrust you with conveying my best wishes of happiness and success to Their Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses the leaders of your brotherly and friendly countries, hoping for the peoples of your respective countries further progress and prosperity. While thanking Mr. Doyen for the feelings of affection and consideration he has expressed in his address towards Tunisia and its people and leadership, I would like to commend the efforts you exert for the consolidation of the relations of cooperation between Tunisia and your respective countries, and to stress our steadfast determination to elevate these relations to higher levels. We have based reform in our country upon the values of moderation, solidarity and tolerance, and instilled in the minds of our people the commitment to modernity and hard work in the service of progress. We endeavor, with much confidence and optimism, and in a context of security and stability, to record further gains and achievements for Tunisia, motivated, in this regard, by the positive results we have achieved despite a difficult regional and international juncture. This, in fact, can only bolster our determination to pursue our efforts, relying essentially on our national capabilities, as well as on cooperation with our brotherly and friendly countries. Mr. Doyen, Your Excellencies, The world is currently facing enormous challenges that require all members of the international community to unify their efforts, to strive to achieve the noble objectives enunciated in the Millennium Summit Declaration, to intensify endeavors so as to settle conflicts through dialogue and entente, to tackle the root causes of poverty and marginalization, and to increase the opportunities of cooperation and solidarity among countries. Tunisia has always been keen on actively contributing to all UN and international efforts to achieve these objectives, premised upon its strong commitment to the principles of freedom, justice and equality. In 1989, we proposed the conclusion of a charter for peace and progress between the countries of the North and of the South. Besides, we called for the establishment of a world fund for solidarity and the eradication of poverty, an initiative that was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2002. Moreover, we launched a proposal intended to ensure the right of children and youngsters to practice sports and physical education, and to provide the necessary means for the exercise of this right, as part of the educational system and within social life. This proposal was also adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in November 2003. Furthermore, we called for the establishment of an international code of ethics for the fight against terrorism, and also for the organization of a World Summit on the Information Society whose second phase will be held in Tunis in 2005. The first "5+5 Dialogue Summit", held in Tunis last December, did reflect the will of the Western Mediterranean countries to lay the foundations for a new stage of solidarity-based partnership for the benefit of all the peoples of the region. The edification of the Arab Maghreb remains, for us, a crucial and irreversible choice in the face of the challenges confronting our region, notwithstanding the circumstantial difficulties our Union is currently witnessing. We endeavor, in conjunction with our brothers the leaders of Maghreb countries, to transcend these difficulties so that we can achieve our peoples' aspirations for complementarity and unity. Moreover, the challenges currently facing the Arab world require us to step up efforts in order to reinforce our capacities to effectively deal with the rapid changes taking place in the world. On its part, Tunisia will endeavor, during its chairmanship of the next Arab Summit in March 2004, to consolidate common Arab action in all fields, and to contribute, in conjunction with our brothers the leaders of Arab countries, to the process of developing the League of Arab States and modernizing its structures. As regards the Middle East conflict, we underscore once again the necessity for the international community and the influential parties to act promptly so as to provide an international protection to the brotherly Palestinian people, and to ensure the resumption of peace negotiations on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and commitment to the Roadmap. This will make it possible to create the independent Palestinian state and to establish just, comprehensive and durable peace in all the countries of the region. It is also necessary to bring to completion the steps taken in Iraq, so that the Iraqi people can recover its sovereignty while preserving its unity and territorial integrity, and be devoted to the reconstruction of its country. In the face of the challenges currently confronting the Islamic nation, it has become imperative to act in order to better make known the true image of Islam, to highlight the values of tolerance, moderation, dialogue and coexistence underlying this religion, and to reject all forms of fanaticism, extremism and violence. This is indeed what Tunisia has always been keen on ensuring in legal texts as well as in practice. Our country, in fact, witnessed the birth of the "Carthage Charter on Tolerance" and the establishment of the "Tunis Forum for Peace". This in addition to the establishment of an "International Prize for Solidarity" and an "International Prize for Islamic Studies", with a view to encouraging the continuity of dialogue among cultures, civilizations and religions. Concerning our relations with Europe, the Association Agreement between Tunisia and the European Union has currently reached an advanced phase of implementation. This allows our country to step into a promising stage with this grouping, in light of the new neighborhood policy, and after we have completed the program of upgrading our economy and launched the process of its modernization. Regarding the African dimension in our foreign policy, we have actively participated in the establishment of the African Union, and contributed to all endeavors intended to eradicate the hotbeds of tension and conflicts and to facilitate the integration of the economies of African countries within the world economy. We will also work to further develop Tunisia's relations with the countries of the American and Asian continents, and to promote the cooperation and partnership mechanisms established with them. Mr. Doyen, Your Excellencies, The year 2003 offered us propitious opportunities to deepen consultation with many of our brothers and friends the leaders of your respective countries, whom we met at the bilateral level or during regional and international meetings. Our hope is that the year 2004 will be of good omen to all humanity, that the values of entente, cooperation and solidarity will prevail, and that peace, stability and welfare will be established in all parts of the world. To conclude, I renew to you my congratulations on the occasion of the new year, wishing you a pleasant stay in Tunisia and all success in your mission. Happy new year ! Thank you for your attention. Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Tunis (23 January 2003) Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Tunis (15 January 2002) Foreign Policy Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (29 January 2001) Foreign Policy Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (27 January 2000) Address by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at the Ceremony for the Accreditation of New Foreign Ambassadors (13 January 2000) Speech by President Ben Ali at the closing of the annual conference of the heads of diplomatic and consular missions (25 August 99) Foreign Policy Speech by President Ben Ali (28 January 99) Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Tunis (23 January 2003) Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Tunis (15 January 2002) Foreign Policy Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (29 January 2001) Foreign Policy Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (27 January 2000) Adress by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at the Ceremony for the Accreditation of New Foreign Ambassadors (13 January 2000) Speech by President Ben Ali at the closing of the annual conference of the heads of diplomatic and consular missions (25 August 99)