FM BEDJAOUI CAUTIONS ON CONSULAR WARDEN MESSAGES,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000568 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017 TAGS: PREL CASC MARR AG SUBJECT: FM BEDJAOUI CAUTIONS ON CONSULAR WARDEN MESSAGES, WONDERS ABOUT AFRICOM. Classified By: Ambassador Robert S. Ford. Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) In an April 21 meeting with S/WCI Ambassador at Large J. Clint Williamson in which Guantanamo detainee issues were discussed (septel),FM Bedjaoui said the U.S. and Algeria were "in the same boat" with respect to global terrorism and that it was important to work together on Iraq policy and terrorism-related issues. Given the Algerian desire for close cooperation with the United States, Bedjaoui said he hoped the U.S. "Embassy would help" in this regard. He said the warden message the Embassy had disseminated to U.S. citizens warning of possible terrorist attacks April 14 in central Algiers was "a problem" because the information had been conveyed to the Algerian people outside of proper channels. It was important, Bedjaoui stressed, that the U.S. Embassy use appropriate channels. NEED FOR BETTER COLLABORATION -------------- ¶2. (C) Ambassador Ford responded that Algeria responding to the April 11 attacks and the U.S. responding to the 9/11 attacks are fighting the same enemy - Islamist extremists. The Ambassador noted that the Embassy and the U.S. Government need to work together, therefore. The Ambassador also expressed satisfaction with the improved collaboration between the Embassy and the government following the April 11 events as compared to terrorist incidents in December. ¶3. (C) Bedjaoui explained that "true panic occurred" after the release of the warden message to the extent that parents did not send their kids to school. The Ambassador said he hoped to have discussions in the coming days with MFA officials to avoid future problems and misunderstandings. It was not the intent of the U.S. or the Embassy, the Ambassador emphasized, to cause panic. The Ambassador observed that he also was under an obligation to share information with a very nervous U.S. citizen community in Algeria. To allay the concerns of these Americans, said the Ambassador, additional support would be needed from the host government. Bedjaoui responded that it was Algeria's obligation to help Ambassador Ford and his team. INTEREST IN UNDERSTANDING AFRICOM -------------- ¶4. (C) Turning to the U.S. creation of AFRICOM, Bedjaoui said Algeria would like more information on this new U.S. endeavor. The FM noted that a million Algerians lost their lives in the fight for independence from France. Bedjaoui said this explained why Algerians were so sensitive to issues of national sovereignty, such as the establishment of military bases in Africa. Acknowledging that it was late in coming, the Ambassador told Bedjaoui that we were expecting an interagency delegation from the U.S. in June to brief the GoA on AFRICOM. The Ambassador drew Bedjaoui's attention to previous U.S. statements that we did not request the establishment of military bases in Algeria. He added that the U.S. understood very well the importance Algeria attached to its sovereignty and its opposition to hosting foreign military bases. Bedjaoui acknowledged that the media had tried to inflate the question of bases in Algeria and expressed appreciation for the Secretary's assurances to him as well as the Ambassador's SIPDIS March 2007 remarks to the Algerian media. FORD