(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JUNE 11 - Where the conflicts regarding the
difficult question of law and order after the unrest among the
Salafis did not lead to an institutional crisis in Tunisia, now
Libya's request for the extradition of Gaddafi's
second-in-command, Baghdadi el Mahmoudi, seems to have brought
Tunisia on the brink of such crisis. The implications of an
institutional crisis in Tunisia are hard to predict, because the
conflict involves not only the two highest positions in the
republic (president and premier), but also members of the two
parties (Cpr for Moncef Marzouki; Ennahdha for Hamadi Djebali),
which could clash as government parties.
Mahmoudi has been held in a Tunisian prison since September
last year. He was detained when he tried to cross the Algerian
border without an entry visa. The former Libyan premier has been
cleared of charges regarding this case, but he has not been
release because of an extradition request.
It has taken months to prepare the necessary documents and
transmit them to the Tunisian authorities. During this time,
Mahmoudi was forced to stay in prison despite his acquittal,
amid complaints, hunger strikes and treats.
The problem is not the charges made against Mahmoudi by Libya,
but the guarantees for a fair trial Marzouki wants Libya to
give, which have led to a clash with Djebali, who wants Mahmoudi
to be extradited. In fact, the Tunisian premier also wants to
hand Mahmoudi over to Libya because he wants Tunisia to have
good ties with Libya, particularly economic ties. But Marzouki
has always been a fervent human rights advocate, and insists on
guarantees. This situation has created some embarrassment inside
the Tunisian government, even without official position
statements.
Libya has asked Tunisia why the country is doubting that it will
respect the law and human rights, for which Libya has fought and
won a revolution. Djebali reportedly agrees with this argument,
even though it has put him on a collision course with the
Tunisian president.
But the cards are on the table and Djabali seems to have a
winning hand. In an interview he repeated that he is in favour
of extradition and claimed that the president's signature is not
even needed for the decision, considering the fact that the
Constitution from 1959 is no longer valid. This has upset
constitutionalists in the country, who say that the Constitution
is valid until a new one is written. But Djebali seems to see
the issue as the start of a political showdown. (ANSA).
