JEDDAH — Tunisian Consul General Fathi Neffati has said his country is being looked at as a model for peaceful transition to democracy in a world rife with violence and upheavals. He was speaking during a reception held in Jeddah recently to celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize award to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet. In a wide-ranging interview with Saudi Gazette, Neffati said the award highlighted the role of dialogue in overcoming crises and peaceful transfer of power. "The National Dialogue Quartet exercised its role as a mediator and driving force to advance peaceful democratic transition in Tunisia with great moral authority. With a new constitution and free and transparent elections, Tunisia has been looked upon as a model of how to make a peaceful transition to democracy," Neffati said. "Here we have to appreciate the efforts of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, head of the Ennahda movement, for setting the basis for national dialogue." On various services provided by the consulate to the Tunisian community, Neffati said Tunisians in the Kingdom are located in two parallel lines in western and central regions of the country and are being served through the Jeddah consulate and the embassy in Riyadh respectively. "We provide Tunisians in western Saudi Arabia with the best and quickest of services. Some services are delivered in 5 to 30 minutes. Connecting with the community is done on a daily basis. There is a dedicated employee ready 24/7 to answer queries from community members," he said. "We also have a schedule for visiting Tunisians within cities under the consulate's jurisdiction. Consular teams visit remote areas to accomplish the required paperwork for Tunisian citizens living in those areas. These visits are announced in advance so people can come and have their paperwork done. On March 24, the consular team will be in Madinah and two weeks later in Khamis Mushayt. In addition, every year before the summer vacation, teams visit all the regions to complete the required documents." SMS services and word-of-mouth messages by volunteers within the community spread the news of consular visits, Neffati said. Education is a focal topic for any community living abroad. According to Neffati, the Tunisian community follows the French curriculum, but he said French schools or other schools that teach mainly Arabic curricula more or less follow a similar curriculum taught in Tunisian schools. Therefore, the Tunisian government accepts all school certificates accredited by the Saudi Ministry of Education. However, to enroll in Tunisian universities, students have to obtain an equivalency certificate, he added. On legal issues, Neffati said: "This is our core task as a diplomatic mission. We help Tunisians to sort out any legal complications they might face. This is done through the social welfare attaché and a dedicated consul. We study each case separately and react accordingly. We are able to sort out most of the problems by communicating with concerned Saudi departments and officials." The diplomat said there are a few of cases of Tunisians imprisoned in the Kingdom. He said the consulate studies each case and appoints an attorney wherever necessary. Haj and Umrah is another major task for the consulate. "Our role is to coordinate between the concerned departments in the Kingdom and Tunisia, and to provide logistics for official delegations coming for premier organizational procedures. The consulate also coordinates with tour operators to ensure the comfort of pilgrims and visitors. We also monitor the health of pilgrims and follow up cases that need hospitalization," Neffati said. "During Haj, we have the additional responsibility of tracking lost pilgrims. The consulate receives all pilgrims at airports in Jeddah and Madinah and try to assist in case of any complications on the spot. In addition to the regular 24/7 phone service, 10 special numbers are added during the Haj season to enable the pilgrims communicate with the consulate, which proved to be a success and helped save time in many complicated situations, especially in the case of lost pilgrims." Neffati said the country's tourism sector was negatively affected by terrorist incidents in the past few years. The number of tourism arrivals dwindled and hotels are nearly empty, leading to an economic recession in the country. Gulf tourists in general and Saudis in particular are very few in numbers. In order to encourage the tourist traffic from the region, the Tunisian government in 2012 lifted the prior visa requirement for citizens of Gulf states, he said, adding: "We welcome Saudis to Tunisia and hope Saudi families would the country as a destination for vacationing." On bilateral relations, Neffati said: "The Saudi-Tunisian relationship is historical. The leaders are always working for the benefit of the two countries and peoples. There are trade relations, yet transportation is an obstacle. Saudi investment in Tunisia is thriving in real estate, tourism and agriculture. The relationship continued during hard times and we hope to widen the channels and fields of trade and investment." With the availability of a skilled manpower at reasonable costs and its location close to Europe, Tunisia would serve as a hub for Saudi industries that have European connections, he added.
