FRENCH EMBASSY COUNSELOR COMMENTS ON REFERENDUM,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 002047

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM AG FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH EMBASSY COUNSELOR COMMENTS ON REFERENDUM,
TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP

REF: ALGIERS 2037 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, Reason 1.4 (b) (d)


1. (C) At the German national day reception October 3, French
Embassy Second Counselor Alexandre Garcia told DCM that the
French Embassy was convinced that the official vote
participation figures released by Minister of Interior
Zerhouni September 30 were fraudulent, at least for the city
of Algiers (see reftel). Garcia said the French Embassy had
visited seven polling places in Algiers, once in the morning
and again in the afternoon and found all seven virtually
deserted both times. He said the senior poll worker at one
site had claimed in the morning that most voters would come
in the afternoon and then said in the afternoon that most
voters had voted in the morning. He agreed that voter
turnout likely was much higher in rural areas and smaller
cities. Garcia added jokingly that he had to admire the
discipline of the Algerian poll workers, since not one had
been quoted in the press confirming that the voter
participation numbers were fraudulent. Garcia further joked
that the Algerian civil service had learned this kind of
discipline from the French.


2. (C) Garcia volunteered that, speaking personally, he had
been impressed by State Department Spokesman McCormack's
comment on the referendum, since it stated that the U.S.
would have liked to see an open public debate of President
Bouteflika's Charter for National Reconciliation. Garcia
commented that the French Embassy had not drafted the French
Foreign Ministry statement, which "saluted this democratic
consultation in which the Algerian people have participated."
While noting that the reference to democratic consultation
clearly was overdone, Garcia added that if France had made
the same statement the U.S. did, it would have touched off a
major crisis since any French commentary on Algerian domestic
politics comes laden with emotional baggage. He also
observed that the French are making utmost efforts to treat
Algeria with kid gloves at least until the Treaty of
Friendship is signed.


3. (C) Comment: The French continue to insist that the
Treaty of Friendship is on track to be signed by the end of
the year. During a political rally in Batna September 20,
Bouteflika commented, in the context of remarks about the
Treaty, that "he who has made a mistake must have the courage
and modesty to ask forgiveness. Our hearts are big enough to
grant it." Apparently in response to this comment, the
French MFA spokesman stated that the negotiations over the
treaty are on course and "all dimensions of the
Franco-Algerian relationship are being taken into account."
This statement was interpreted in the Algerian press as
meaning that France is considering issuing an official
apology to Algeria for France's brutal treatment of Algerians
during colonization and especially during the War of
Independence. Meanwhile, in the national reconciliation
context, Bouteflika himself set the example by apologizing
and asking pardon, on behalf of himself and the State, from
all the victims of Algeria's national tragedy.
ERDMAN