Cablegate: Fiscal Transparency in Tunisia

VZCZCXRO2571
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHTU #0237 0721129
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121129Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4586
INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 0964
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 7638
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1583
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1432
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT PRIORITY 0970
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1905
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 8520
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 0210
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA PRIORITY 4200
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS TUNIS 000237

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EEB/IFD/OMA (SNOW AND FIGUEROA), NEA/RA
(PARLLARES AND SCOVITCH) AND NEA/MAG (HARRIS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON PREL PGOV TS
SUBJECT: FISCAL TRANSPARENCY IN TUNISIA

REF: STATE 16737

1. Embassy Tunis provides the following narrative in response
to reftel request.

2. The Government of Tunisia's national budget is publicly
available and is published in the official gazette and on the
internet. According to Tunisian law, the parliamentary
debates on the annual budget are open to the public. The
Tunisian Court of Accountability -- the Tunisian counterpart
to the US Government Accounting Office -- monitors and
investigates the use of GOT funds.

Tunisia's ranking on Transparency International's (TI)
Corruption Index has dropped from 43 in 2005 to 61 (out of
179 countries) in 2007 with a score of 4.2. According to the
TI Corruption Index scale, a score of ten indicates extremely
little corruption and a score of zero very serious
corruption. There is no single GOT ministry or agency with
combatting corruption as a specific mandate, although the
Court of Accountability may investigate allegations of
corruption through the course of their normal reviews.

The US Embassy promotes good governance and transparency
through visiting speakers, training and exchange programs in
the United States, and through government-to-government
technical assistance programs under the auspices of the
Middle East Partnership Initiative and the Commercial Law
Development Program. The Government of Tunisia is also
implementing good governance programs with the United Nations
Development Program and European Union member countries. The
most recent IMF review of compliance with standards and codes
governing fiscal transparency was conducted in 2002.

Please visit Embassy Tunis' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/tunis/index.c fm
GODEC

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