ALGERIA TAKING MORE CONCILIATORY TONE TOWARD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 001278

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2015
TAGS: PREL PBTS PHUM AG MO WI
SUBJECT: ALGERIA TAKING MORE CONCILIATORY TONE TOWARD
MOROCCO

REF: ALGIERS 1251

Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
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1. (C) Algerian FM Bedjaoui, in the GOA's first public
remarks concerning Moroccan-Algerian relations since
Morocco's cancellation of the prime ministers' meeting in
Rabat, has struck a conciliatory tone. Alongside visiting
Dutch FM Bot June 22, Bedjaoui called for "cooling things
down" and noted that Algeria "under all circumstances (is)
prepared to strengthen ties with Morocco." At the Diplomatic
Institute of International Relations June 25, noting that
Algeria had accepted the Moroccan invitation for the
bilateral visit of heads of government, Bedjaoui said Algeria
looked to "turn the page" and sought "excellent relations"
with Morocco. Against the backdrop of Bedjaoui's remarks,
the Algerian press highlighted like-minded positions from
abroad rather than tensions with Morocco, Spanish FM
Moratinos' confirmation that Spain did not recognize Moroccan
sovereignty over the Western Sahara, and Kenya's diplomatic
recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The
press also noted that Algeria favored a referendum on
self-determination in the Western Sahara and that Algerian
diplomacy would be directed toward building a "strong,
stable, peaceful, and democratic Maghreb union." Breaking
the GOA's official silence following Morocco's cancellation
of the Rabat meeting, Bedjaoui's remarks seem intended to
defuse tension and portray Algeria as having taken the high
road concerning relations with Morocco and support for
greater regional cooperation via the Arab Maghreb Union.
(End summary and comment.)

ALGERIAN FM CALLS FOR "COOLING
THINGS DOWN" AND "TURNING THE PAGE"
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2. (U) Algerian Foreign Minister Bedjaoui, at a June 22
press conference with visiting Dutch FM Bot, spoke for the
first time to the press about the state of relations between
Morocco and Algeria since Rabat's cancellation of the visit
by Algerian PM Ouyahia. Bedjaoui noted that Algeria had been
"prepared to dispatch its prime minister to Morocco but
(certain) circumstances relating to our fraternal neighbors
had led them not to accept the visit, bearing in mind that it
had been decided at their request." Apparently seeking to
defuse tensions in the bilateral relationship with Morocco,
he called for "cooling things down," suggested Algeria was
disinclined to pursue a war of words with Morocco, and added
that there was "an agreement with Morocco to leave the
Western Sahara conflict in its natural framework, i.e., the
United Nations." FM Bedjaoui concluded his remarks by noting
that "(Algiers) is under all circumstances prepared to
strengthen its ties with Rabat."

ALGERIA SEEKS EXCELLENT RELATIONS WITH RABAT
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3. (U) Speaking June 25 at the Diplomatic Institute of
International Relations, Bedjaoui said that Algeria "hopes to
build with (Morocco)...fruitful relations" and that the
Moroccan and Algerian peoples "deserve better than the
current situation. Algeria is disposed toward ... dialogue
... (and) excellent relations with Morocco," concluded the
Foreign Minister. On the cancellation of the meeting in
Rabat and next steps ahead, Bedjaoui was quoted as saying:
"We had the intention to meet bilaterally (with the
Moroccans). In their wisdom, the two heads of state left the
issue of the Western Sahara to the United Nations. A visit
by (the Algerian) head of government was planned for Morocco.
We accepted the invitation. Unfortunately, something
occurred which our Moroccan brothers did not like. We did
nothing to cast a shadow over the situation and hope that we
will soon turn the page." Bedjaoui also reiterated
"Algeria's attachment to Maghreb construction," which is a
necessity dictated by circumstances no country in the region
can ignore.


THE OFFICIAL PRESS: ALGERIA ALIGNED WITH U.N. APPROACH
ON THE WESTERN SAHARA; SEEKS STRONG MAGHREB UNION
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4. (U) Bedjaoui's remarks coincided with a change of tone in
the Algerian press, as it shifted focus from casting
aspersions at Morocco and its leadership to highlighting
supporting statements from abroad. For example, June 24
editions of the official newspaper, El Moudjahid, reported
the remarks of Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos before the
Spanish Senate, where he clearly affirmed that Spain did not
recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. The
"Spanish diplomats at the United Nations (in 1975) ceded the
administration, not the sovereignty, of these territories."
Moratinos also reportedly confirmed Spain's "active
engagement" on the issue of the Western Sahara and on
"guaranteeing the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi
people" within the U.N. framework. Separately, the Algerian
press reported that Kenya officially recognized the Sahrawi
Arab Democratic Republic.

EL MOUDJAHID "CLARIFICATION"
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5. (U) Emphasizing the reasonableness of the Algerian
approach in an article entitled "Clarification," the official
government daily El Moudjahid also summed up Algeria's
position on the Western Sahara, including its support for a
referendum on self-determination and resolution of the
dispute in a U.N. framework. "All the resources of Algeria's
diplomacy would be mobilized in search of peace, security,
and development in the region and in the world," stressed the
paper. Referring to Bedjaoui's statements, El Moudjahid said
they were based on "a strong conviction, widely shared in the
Maghreb, that nothing durable and solid can be built without
going beyond our differences and without reinforcing the
foundations on which we can build a strong, stable, peaceful,
and democratic Maghreb union."

ERDMAN