ALGERIA UNYIELDING ON HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000046

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2027
TAGS: PREL PHUM SU AG
SUBJECT: ALGERIA UNYIELDING ON HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND
DARFUR

REF: DRL-EMBASSY JANUARY 12 AND JANUARY 15 E-MAILS

Classified By: Ambassador Robert S. Ford; reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) A top Algerian MFA official was adamant that the Human
Rights Council (HRC) should send a mission composed of
ambassadors to study the situation in Darfur during his
January 15 meeting with Ambassador. Ambassador reviewed with
MFA Director General for International Organizations
Bouguerra the key tracks of U.S. policy on Sudan: the phased
transition to UN peacekeepers; a political agreement among
Sudanese political groups; and amelioration of the
humanitarian crisis affecting 2.8 million people. Bouguerra
responded that Algeria agreed on these goals and on the need
for positive developments to build on the progress to date in
addressing the Darfur situation. Asked if our policies were
aimed in the same direction, Bouguerra said "absolutely" and
underscored the need for the international community to
safeguard progress in Darfur and act in concert on the steps
ahead. Noting the wide disparity in figures on the toll of
human suffering in Darfur, Bouguerra also asked Ambassador to
share U.S. information on the scope of the humanitarian
crisis in Darfur for GOA review.

ALGERIA OBLIGED TO SUPPORT AFRICAN GROUP CONSENSUS
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2. (C) Turning to discussions at the HRC in Geneva on Darfur,
Ambassador reviewed the American goal that a team sent to
gather information and assess the situation in Darfur be
composed of technical experts. Bouguerra replied that, for
Algeria, acknowledging that a mission from the HRC should be
sent is itself a huge gain. Ambassador cautioned that a
badly made up mission that was politicized would set a bad
precedent. Bouguerra vehemently disagreed: the Africa Group
in the HRC preferred, he claimed, that the group send
ambassadors from the regional groups. He explained that the
Sudanese government would not accept technical experts; it
doubted their neutrality. The Africa Group, he claimed,
supported the Sudanese stand so that it could at least have a
mission sent to Darfur. Ambassador noted that some African
governments had told us they opposed sending ambassadors.
Bouguerra acknowledged that not all Africa Group members
shared the consensus view, but since this approach had the
broadest support, Algerian Geneva Permrep Jazairy had to back
it.


3. (C) Ambassador asked Bouguerra to clarify if Jazairy's
pronouncements in Geneva were based on instructions from
Algiers or his need to espouse the Africa Group's position.
Bouguerra responded that Jazairy's statements in the HRC
reflected Algiers' instructions. Ambassador asked why the
Africa Group rejected the sending of experts in favor of
sitting ambassadors. Bouguerra said he could not say but
that Algeria could also ask the U.S. why it opposed the
sending of experts to Palestine. He added that Algeria could
not ignore the Sudanese position as if there was no problem
with the Western Group resistance to sending a mission to
Iraq. Ambassador emphasized the Darfur and Palestinian
issues should not be linked. Bouguerra agreed that there was
no linkage between Palestine and Darfur in Algerian policy,
but said Algeria wants a consistent HRC policy. Bouguerra
reiterated that the Africa Group's consensus view was that a
mission composed of technical experts would not preserve the
achievements to date in Sudan.

COMMENT
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4. (C) The German ambassador, accompanied by his Portuguese
counterpart, made the same presentation to Bouguerra on
January 14 and got the same response. The Algerians
generally are loath to break Arab League ranks. The best way
to moderate their stance is for countries in the Africa Group
at the HRC to underline to the GOA that Algeria is hurting
its own credibility within the Group due to its stand on
issues such as this one on Darfur. (None of four sub-Saharan
ambassadors in Algiers with whom the Ambassador talked the
evening of January 15 supported Algeria's stance on Darfur's
human rights situation.) Given the vehemence with which
Bouguerra defended the Algerian posturing in Geneva, we
suspect the Algerian permrep has clearance for his hard line
there. We therefore also recommend that a senior official in
Washington reiterate our concerns about Algeria and the HRC
with the Algerian ambassador in Washington, who remains
well-connected high up in the Algiers foreign policy
bureaucracy. We also ought to share what we can about the
humanitarian crisis in Darfur with the GOA here in Algiers;
we cannot depend on their mission in Geneva forwarding
materials.
FORD