Christopher O'Connor

NATO ships in Tunis

We have just had a visit by a NATO patrol group - four ships from four different countries under a British commander.
 
It is impressive how closely multiple navies are working together on a routine basis. Greek and Turkish ships, for example, were operating side by side in this patrol. And when those same ships serve on anti-piracy duty off the Horn of Africa, they team up with navies from across the globe in a common effort.  
 
The Rear Admiral commanding the patrol met with the head of the Tunisian Navy. His message here, as elsewhere, was "Dare to share!" These days sharing information on security issues is the key to staying ahead of the ever-evolving threats. 

Posted at 17:11 08 February 2010 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Strategic dialogue on energy

I have just returned from an intensive session on energy issues in London.
 
Every six months we bring together top Tunisian decision-makers on energy issues with British companies operating in the energy sector. This gives our companies first-hand insights into the strategic thinking of the Tunisian government and and ensures the Tunisian side know exactly what the UK can offer.
 
In the past, discussions of this sort have centred on oil and gas. Those remain important and our engagement in both is expanding. But this week's talks involved just as much discussion of opportunities to use renewable sources of energy, on which the Tunisian government has ambitious plans. Tunisia has plenty of sun, strong winds, biomas and industrial waste products that can be turned into energy. And the UK has expertise in all these.
 
The UK line-up was: Shell, BG , International Power, Clarke Energy, Petrofac, Pure Energy Centre, Senergy and Nur Energy.

Posted at 16:36 05 February 2010 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

UN Special Rapporteur

I was fortunate to attend a fascinating meeting with United Nations "Special Rapporteur" Martin Scheinen, who has just left Tunisia after a four-day visit. Mr Scheinen leads the UN's work on the protection of human rights relating to governments' efforts against terrorism. That is a challenging subject in almost every country in the world!
 
Mr Scheinen's comments to the press at the end of his visit generated a lot of interest. So will the report he sends to the UN Human Rights Council. He will set out recommendations on issues to address but will also note that it was positive he was invited to visit and given access to ministers, officials, prisoners and detention centres. It is not easy for governments to engage with this kind of process. But it is healthy that they do. I was glad to be able to hear about his work first hand.
 

Posted at 19:00 29 January 2010 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

African Development Bank

The African Development Bank is one of the big international institutions in Tunis. I was pleased to have the chance to hear from its President, Donald Kaberuka, how it is approaching the  challenges involved in supporting Africa's economic development.
 
The Bank has ambitious plans this year. It aims to expand both its capital (so it can lend more money), and its budget (so it can provide more assistance in the form of grants). In a time of global economic slowdown, and with other regional development banks seeking similar increases, that is no easy task. But governments who support the Bank, including the British Government, recognise that the Bank's role now is more important than ever. I very much hope they will get the resources they need.

Posted at 20:22 24 January 2010 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

New Year

As we turn the page into a New Year - 18 December in the Islamic Calendar and 1 January for others of us - I wish all readers a happy and healthy year ahead. 

Posted at 17:17 29 December 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Webcast: Trade and investment between the UK and Tunisia

I was pleased with how the webcast went yesterday.
 
There were a good number of people logging on and a wide range of questions.
 
Watch the recording here or on Stickam at:  http://www.stickam.com/british_embassy_tunis

Posted at 11:39 15 December 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Webcast

Next Monday (14 December) we are going to try something a little unusual. I am going to have a go at a live webcast. The idea is that a live image of me appears on the screen of anyone visiting our "live debates" page. Viewers can ask questions or make comments through a chat box. And I can respond to whatever people write in.  
 
The webcast will begin at 13:00 UK time (14:00 Tunisia time) and the subject I want to focus on is trade and investment between the UK and Tunisia.
 
I have no idea how many people will participate. But I hope it will be enough to make the session worthwhile. It might even be worth repeating.
 
To join us, click on this link to our live debates page. You don't have to log in or give your name. You can just watch, or you can send in questions or comments through the chat box.

Posted at 17:16 11 December 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Tunisian Networks in the UK

I was recently at an energising event in London run by an impressive international network of Tunisian graduates called ATUGE .
 
ATUGE has long been established in Paris and last year set up a London branch.

The event brought together ATUGE members from Tunisia, France and the UK to discuss the big economic issues facing Tunisia.

Many ATUGE members are at the very top of their professions. They bring an international angle to Tunisian issues, and top level debating skills. I know their views are highly valued by Tunisian decision makers. They are worth listening to. 

Posted at 15:39 08 December 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[1]

Remembrance Service

On Sunday we held the annual service of Remembrance at Enfidhah war cemetery betweenTunis and Sousse.

Each year it is an important occasion to remember those who have died in conflicts around the world. And it is in particular a time to honour those who died in the Tunisia campaign of 1942-1943, where the two parts of the North Africa campaign came together. Over one and a half thousand soldiers are buried at Enfidhah alone, where the fighting was concentrated in the final months of the campaign. Many more are buried in other cemeteries around Tunisia.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does a superb job of maintaining the cemeteries and helping visitors looking for the graves of lost relatives.

Posted at 13:25 10 November 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Middle East Peace

We had the great pleasure a few days ago to host Martin Day, our Arabic language spokesman. The centre-piece of his visit was a symposium run by the International Studies Association, a leading Tunisian think tank, on the Middle East conflict.

Both Martin and I had the opportunity to speak about Palestine and the UK perspective on the way forward.  I hope the event went some way towards addressing some misconceptions as well as underlining just how important a solution is to this conflict, both for the region and for the wider world.

Posted at 13:35 02 November 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Election time

Tunisia held Presidential elections on Sunday 25 October. We did not have formal observers, but Embassy staff paid close attention during the campaign and on election day. And we compared notes with other Embassies in Tunis who did the same.

The result, a fifth term for President Ben Ali, came as no surprise to Tunisians. Colleagues in the Tunisian government have pointed to the reduction in his percentage of the vote from 94% last time to 89% this time as an indication that political life here is evolving. They say the same about the increase in opposition seats in the legislature.

Certainly plurality at the political level can make a positive contribution to ensuring healthy debate on policy issues. I look forward to the continuing development of that kind of debate here.

Posted at 11:22 27 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[1]

Military visitors

We are now hosting 12 senior officers from the Royal College of Defence Studies. They are undergoing training on strategic security and governance issues to prepare for positions at the very top ranks of the military. Interestingly the visitors are mostly not from the UK.

They are also from Japan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, China, Qatar, Jordan and Canada. The international participants provide the British officers (and eachother) with a really varied set of perspectives. In Tunisia they have been given a warm welcome from government figures and people outside government including the South Mediterranean University and Shell Tunisia. It has been a pleasure to host them.

Posted at 11:39 20 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Blog Action Day: Climate Change - Global public opinion needs to be mobilised.

Today is Blog Action Day . The Foreign Secretary David Miliband has rightly said there is no more pressing issue on which global public opinion needs to be mobilised. The potential effect of doing nothing is dramatic. Vulnerable communities will be decimated. And according to the estimations of Sir Nicholas Stern, former Chief Economist to the World Bank, the world will lose the equivalent of 5-20% of GDP, now and forever. 

The response needs to be on all levels. The Copenhagen Summit in December will seek to provide a strategic framework. But we all need to act in our daily work and lives to play our part in a healthy, sustainable, low-carbon global economy. There will be challenges, but also opportunities for growth in renewable energy and elsewhere. The site Act On Copenhagen  is worth a look.

Posted at 17:54 15 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Linking up with an Islamic University

I was much encouraged by a visit yesterday to Al Zeitouna Islamic University. It is the only university in Tunisia which specialises in Islamic studies. And it is something of a regional hub, attracting students from all over the region. 

In discussion with the rector, we found a good number of ways in which we could build productive linkages, mainly in English language teaching, but also perhaps by connecting Al Zeitouna with UK Universities' departments of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. 
 
Building this sort of connection should help Al Zeitouna extend its international reach. And it should help our efforts to address the negative stereotypes that some Muslim communities can have about the UK.

Posted at 19:36 13 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[1]

Building Links in Finance

I am convinced there are major opportunities for the UK and Tunisia to build stronger links in the financial sector. Senior government leaders on both sides are enthusiastic. Now it is time to turn that political will into practical steps forward.

This week we have been pleased to have Philippe Gautier, a top level specialist in banking and finance, visit Tunis. He is meeting all the relevant decision-makers here to pin down how and where we should focus. Tunisia has plans to develop a role as a regional financial centre. It is putting the legal framework and physical infrastructure in place. I hope that as Tunisia builds its capacity in this sector it does so with UK experts as its partners.

Posted at 20:15 08 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]