ALGERIA TO ATTEND RABAT DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE

UNCLAS ALGIERS 001971 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM KPAO PREL KMPI AG SUBJECT: ALGERIA TO ATTEND RABAT DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE MEETING REF: STATE 171708 ¶1. DCM participated in a joint demarche with UK Charge Nick Low and Italian DCM Antonio Bellavia on MFA Director General for the Americas Cherif Chikhi September 26 to encourage high level GOA participation at the October 1-3 BMENA Democracy Assistance Dialogue meeting in Rabat. Chikhi, who will be a member of the delegation, confirmed that Algeria will participate at a "high level," although he explained that Foreign Minister Bedjaoui would not be able to attend because he had just returned from New York that day and his schedule was "full" for the next week. ¶2. Chikhi noted that Algeria is developing its democratic institutions and strongly supports the BMENA process in general and the promotion of political pluralism and government dialogue with civil society in particular. He did note, however, that one of the Algerian civil society participants, Ihsane El-Kadi, is identified on the agenda as a journalist from the daily Le Quotidien d'Oran, a paper with which El-Kadi is no longer affiliated. Bellavia noted that the Italian NGO No Peace Without Justice had selected the civil society participants, but the important thing was to promote a dialogue between them and regional governments. Chikhi said he agreed. ERDMAN