ALGERIA STILL NONCOMMITTAL ABOUT PASSENGER LIST

S E C R E T ALGIERS 000501 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2023 TAGS: EAIR PTER AG SUBJECT: ALGERIA STILL NONCOMMITTAL ABOUT PASSENGER LIST COOPERATION REF: STATE 37910 Classified By: Ambassador Robert S. Ford, reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (S) Ambassador pulled aside Presidency Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Kamel Rezak-Bara during an April 30 reception to remind him that we still await a response to our suggestion that Algeria enable us to screen passenger lists for flights between Damascus and Algiers. Rezak-Bara remembered our briefing from the visit of S/CT Coordinator Dell Dailey but clearly had no answer to give us. He asked if we had received any response through other GoA channels, and didn't seem very surprised when the Ambassador responded in the negative. ¶2. (S) Rezak-Bara promised to pass the question along again. He would not speculate on the likely answer. He mentioned, and emphasized that he was speaking entirely personally, that our sharing information about how such an information exchange works between the U.S. and other countries might be useful in helping GoA officials move forward. He wondered if we had had a similar exchange with any other Arab country concerning airline passenger lists and foreign fighter flows. Ambassador promised to relay the question but underlined that stopping foreign fighter flows in both directions was in the interest of the U.S. and Algeria. Rezak-Bara didn't argue but he clearly is not authorized to make any decision. ¶3. (S) Ambassador had also relayed ref demarche to MFA Director General for Americas Selmane at an April 29 meeting. She had no substantive comment and simply promised to transmit the question to the appropriate authorities. ¶4. (S) Comment: Delivering the demarche to Air Algerie itself would not help because the state-owned company takes its security guidance entirely from the government, a point Rezak-Bara stressed to Ambassador. Algeria has relatively good relations with Syria in many areas, and this may be a factor in the Algerians' internal considerations. If we have anything we can share with the GoA on how such an intelligence exchange works with another Arab state, it might be helpful. Bara seemed more interested in the mechanics than in the names of other countries, although doubtless the Algerians would be interested in that too. FORD