“It’s an opportunity for everyone who believes in peace”

Telephone interview with Houcine Abassi

Telephone interview with, Houcine Abassi, Secretary General of The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, 9 October 2015. The interviewer is Hélène Hernmarck Olsson from Nobel Media, and the following transcript is an English translation of the conversation in French.

(Houcine Abassi) Yes?

(Hélène Hernmarck Olsson) Good day, my name is Hélène and I am calling from the official website of the Nobel Prize in Sweden.

(HA) Nice to talk to you.

(HHO) Nice to talk to you. Congratulations.

(HA) Thank you.

(HHO) Can I ask you two questions to be posted on our website?

(HA) Yes.

(HHO) What does the Nobel Prize mean for the continuation of the Dialogue that you have started?

(HA) Well, it is of course a positive factor. Our country needs a national dialogue right now. Our dialogue is important; our economy is in bad shape now so one must think about a national dialogue with the Quartet to find solutions to our problems.

(HHO) Fantastic. And what do you think awarding you the Nobel Prize says to the rest of the world?

(HA) It’s an opportunity for everyone who believes in peace, especially for the civil society, showing that dialogue can play an important role when it comes to solving national problems. It shows that unions, our union and other civil associations, can, by guiding through dialogue, find solutions to problems. This Nobel Prize shows that humankind can reach solutions through dialogue. It is a sign to all those who work for, and believe in, peace. It shows it to the world, to the Arabic countries … [unclear].

(HHO) Great, that is fantastic. Thank you very much, and once again congratulations.

(HA) Thank you.

Listen to the interview

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