VISIT TO ALGERIA OF MAURITANIAN LEADER CONFERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ALGIERS 000891

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2016
TAGS: PREL AG MR
SUBJECT: VISIT TO ALGERIA OF MAURITANIAN LEADER CONFERS
DEGREE OF LEGITIMACY


Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman: Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
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1. (C) The May 6-7 visit of Mauritanian Military Council
President Val to Algeria has given Val a strong seal of
regime approval, bilateral ties a boost in a number of areas,
and the Algerians an IOU of sorts on issues of concern. We
believe the visit falls in the context of Algerian efforts to
shore up support from neighbors and friends to the south and
elsewhere in Africa in the face of: 1) continuing
differences with Morocco and impasse over the Western Sahara;
2) Algeria's desire for strengthened regional cooperation
against terrorist groups operating in the Sahel; and 3)
irritation with Libya's proposal to unite desert tribal
groups in a "Greater Sahara" entity and its recent dispatch
of a senior envoy to meet with Mohammed VI in the Western
Sahara (i.e.,"occupied territory.") The Val visit
definitively ends a period of tentativeness and even coolness
in Algerian-Mauritanian relations in the wake of the coup
that brought Val to power last year, in contravention of
African Union principles. It also follows PM Ouyahia's visit
to Nouakchott last fall for meetings of the mixed bilateral
commission as well as a first-time meeting between Val and
President Bouteflika on the margins of a recent regional
summit.


2. (C) Underscoring his new legitimacy in Algerian eyes, Val
was treated with full military honors on arrival, a canon
salute and national anthems, ambassadors assembled along a
red carpet to greet him individually, and a state lunch with
official toasts. At the same time, Bouteflika, both in his
toast and in the Joint Communique, made clear the importance
Algeria attached to continued efforts to build democracy in
Mauritania. On several issues, most notably the Western
Sahara and Middle East peace issues, the communique language
was considerably more muted than Bouteflika's toast language,
apparently reflecting Nouakchott's ties with Israel, Val's
personal ties to Morocco (where Algerian newspapers report he
did his military training),and (according to the Mauritanian
ambassador) Mauritania's desire to remain as neutral as
possible on the Western Sahara dispute. (End Summary and
Comment)

JOINT COMMUNIQUE: POSITIVE BILATERAL DEVELOPMENTS
AND SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN MAURITANIA
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3. (C) The May 7 Joint Communique signaled a further,
significant step toward rapprochement and normalization of
bilateral relations which had cooled in the wake of the coup
that brought Val to power in violation of African Union
principles enshrined in the "Algiers Accord." The communique
characterized the results of the visit as marking "a major
stage" in their relations and giving new impetus to the
development of their bilateral cooperation, specifically
highlighting "realistic" cooperation in the area of energy,
mining, and fishing. The Mauritanian Ambassador told
Ambassador the visit had been a major step forward for
Mauritanian-Algerian relations and placed special importance
on the agreement to construct a road directly linking Algeria
and Mauritania. He also said there had been full agreement
on counter-terrorism cooperation and the benefits of moving
forward to set up a regional defense cooperation framework to
facilitate regional efforts against terrorist groups using
southern Algeria and the Sahel as a base of support for their
operations.


4. (SBU) On the issue of democratic evolution in Mauritania,
the communique cited President Bouteflika's support for the
"courageous steps" taken in the wake of the peaceful "change"
(i.e., the bloodless August 2005 coup) to consolidate "the
democratic process in Mauritania and the building of a
society where justice and democracy reign." Bouteflika also
helpfully reinforced the importance of building democracy in
his official toast. Noting that Algeria was following "in a
spirit of tolerance" the changes that occurred the previous
years, he said Algeria viewed Val's efforts to strengthen the
democratic process in Mauritania as an affirmation of his
desire to lay the foundation for "authentic change." These
efforts indicated Val's "sincere intentions" and attested to
his determination to honor his commitments to build a just,
democratic, and prosperous society for the Mauritanian people.

BUT SIGNS OF DIFFERENCES ON SOME REGIONAL ISSUES
-------------- ---


5. (C) Despite subtle indications of differences on some
regional issues, the communique also expressed "total

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satisfaction" with the convergence of views on the issues
that had been discussed. Bouteflika in his toast alluded to
these differences in noting that the visit "will permit (both
sides) to eliminate everything that could hinder the dynamic
of their cooperation." Among the regional issues cited in
the communique were:

-- Arab Maghreb Union: Both sides expressed their
"unshakable support" for the Arab Maghreb Union, which was
termed a "strategic option," as well as their willingness to
contribute to efforts to realize the aspirations of the
"Maghrebian peoples" for development, stability, and
integration. Elaborating on this theme and clearly alluding
to the Western Sahara dispute, Bouteflika in his toast
underscored Algeria's attachment to Maghreb integration,
adding that this goal is a function of the will of "all
concerned peoples" of the region. It is thus a matter of
liberating this will so that it can be fully realized by
eliminating the "corridors of tension" and permitting the
Sahrawi people to exercise their legitimate right to
self-determination, as guaranteed in the UN Charter and
consolidated in UN Security Council resolutions.

-- Western Sahara: Through omission, differences over the
Western Sahara were evident. The sparse language of the
communique simply noted that the two sides affirmed their
support for relevant UN "decisions" aimed at finding a
peaceful, just, and permanent solution. There was no
reference to UN resolutions per se, no reference to
self-determination for the Sahrawi people, no reference to
the Baker Plan as the desired basis for a solution, and no
reference to the efforts of UN Personal Representative Van
Walsum (which Algeria fears will the lead away from the
current UN and legal framework for dealing with the Western
Sahara). In this context, it is notable that Val, in his
toast, expressed Mauritania's "support for UN efforts to
achieve a permanent solution" to the Western Sahara question.
The Mauritanian ambassador confirmed to Ambassador that the
Algerian side had wanted more robust language on the Western
Sahara but that Mauritania wanted to keep out of this
problem, avoid details, and limit itself to supporting a
solution in a UN framework.

-- Middle East Peace: There was also a significant contrast
between the muted language of the communique and the sharper
tone of Bouteflika's toast, a difference no doubt reflecting
Mauritania's more nuanced view of the Israel-Palestinian
issue and the fact that it has diplomatic relations with
Israel. In the communique, both sides reiterated their
solidarity with the Palestinian people and affirmed that the
Beirut peace plan adopted by the Arab League in 2002
constitutes "the" basis for a comprehensive, just, and
permanent solution permitting the Palestinian people an
independent state "on their territories," with "El Qods" as
its capital. Whereas Val simply repeated the communique
formula in his toast, Bouteflika was predictably sharper,
noting "concern and bitterness" over the escalation of the
situation in the Middle East, the impasse in the peace
process, and Israel's policy of "faits accomplis." He said
Algeria condemned the "blockade" that "certain countries"
were trying to impose on the Palestinian people and
criticized double standards, while reaffirming support for
the Arab League plan and the urgent need to rehabilitate the
Road Map.

-- Iraq: The communique expressed deep concern over the
situation in Iraq, underlined support for their efforts to
enable Iraq's new constitutional institutions to carry out
their role, and affirmed the importance of preserving Iraq's
national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The
communique also helpfully condemned terrorist actions
targeting Iraq, which undermined its national unity and
security and stability in the region. In his toast,
Bouteflika was again predictably more expansive, reaffirming
UNSC 1546 and noting that Iraqi suffering and preservation of
its territorial integrity would only come about with the end
of occupation and interference in its internal affairs (the
latter a subtle allusion to Iran.)

-- Sudan/Darfur: The communique briefly welcomed the Darfur
Peace Agreement, hoping it would be a prelude to a new era of
peace and harmony for "all the children" of Sudan. In his
toast, Bouteflika hailed the efforts of Sudanese President
Bashir to resolve the Darfur ciris and the role of the
African Union in guaranteeing the success of the
negotiations; hoped the new agreement would help convince
other parties to sign the agreement; expressed optimism about
the agreement between the Chadian and Sudanese presidents
brokered by Qadhafi; and called upon the international
community to supports efforts of the parties to reach a

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definitive solution to the Darfur crisis in close
coordination with the African Union. On the margins of the
airport departure ceremony, Bouteflika expressed to
Ambassador his great appreciation for the positive U.S. role
in concluding the Darfur Peace Agreement.
ERDMAN