MGKV01: ALGERIA WILL NOT RECOGNIZE KOSOVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000195 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2018 TAGS: PREL UNAUS UNMIK YI EU KVIR AG SUBJECT: MGKV01: ALGERIA WILL NOT RECOGNIZE KOSOVO REF: A. STATE 16319 ¶B. ALGIERS 169 Classified By: Ambassador Robert Ford, reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Acting Foreign Minister Bougerra told the Ambassador February 20 that Algeria would not recognize Kosovo in the foreseeable future at least. In response to ref A points, he said that it appeared to Algiers that UNSCR 1244 was explicit that Kosovo is a part of Serbia unless Serbs and Kosovars come to agreement between themselves. Algeria was of the view that UNSCR 1244 does require an agreement, and thus the announcement of Kosovo independence was a quote violation of international legality unquote. When Ambassador noted that we did not see such explicit language and were acting consistent with the Ahtisaari plan, Bougerra retorted that the U.S. had not gone back to the UNSC to develop a consensus before recognizing Kosovar independence. Such consensus, he asserted, would have shored up the legal case. Without such a consensus in the UNSC, he said, Algeria would be very unlikely to change its position any time soon. In the meantime, it will observe developments. Algeria does not, he concluded, want to choose between Serbia and Kosovo. ¶2. (C) Comment: As we noted in ref B, Algerian President Bouteflika has long had a special relationship with Belgrade. In addition, we have heard on the diplomatic circuit that the Spanish have demarched the Algerians to ask that they not recognize Kosovo on the grounds of an unhelpful precedent. There is very little interest among the public in Algiers for the Kosovo story now; the written media has paid little attention to it. Under these circumstances, we see little here that would induce the Algerian authorities to change their stance. FORD