NEA A/S DAVID WELCH'S NOVEMBER 21 CONVERSATION

S E C R E T STATE 125123 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2018 TAGS: PBTS PGOV PREL AG IR IS IZ LE MO SY WI SUBJECT: NEA A/S DAVID WELCH'S NOVEMBER 21 CONVERSATION WITH ALGERIAN AMBASSADOR BAALI Classified By: NEA A/S David Welch for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: A/S Welch welcomed Abdallah Baali as the new Algerian Ambassador November 21. He spoke candidly about the shortcomings of the bilateral relationship, and offered ways that Baali could improve it -- e.g. through increasing the number of Algerians students enrolled in the U.S. and improving the business climate in Algeria. A/S Welch also encouraged Algeria to be a more active partner with the U.S. on regional issues, such as Israel-Palestine, Iran, and Iraq. End summary. BAALI'S BILATERAL PRIORITIES -------------- Open Skies -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Baali mentioned that he had seen EEB DAS in charge of Transportation John Byerly November 17 to discuss the Open Skies agreement. He noted that the agreement had been "stuck" since 2000, but would help open an air route between Algiers and New York. Baali said that during his consultations in Algiers, he learned that it should be possible for the GOA to allow packages of less than 50 grams to be delivered from the U.S. to Algeria. Baali said he thought that Algeria amending legislation would make an Open Skies agreement possible. He said he hoped to have "something" before the end of the year. Visa Reciprocity -------------- ¶3. (U) Baali said that he hoped to increase visa reciprocity from one year to three years. Education -------------- ¶4. (U) Baali also expressed a desire to increase his outreach to the Algerian community within the U.S., and stressed the need to increase student exchanges, as well as English language instruction in Algeria. A/S Welch agreed that increasing educational exchanges should be a priority. He said that there are over a half million foreign students studying in the U.S., and that among the top twenty countries sending students here, only one was Arab -- Saudi Arabia, with approximately 8,000 students. He acknowledged that Algeria might be concerned about brain drain, but asserted that many graduates of U.S. universities return home to form a modernizing, technocratic elite. He added that U.S. companies could partner with universities to create vocational opportunities in Algeria, but opined that Algeria would have to become friendlier to business. Business and Trade -------------- ¶5. (U) Baali said trade between Algeria and the U.S. would amount to about $20 billion by the end of the year, and he highlighted the good work of the U.S.-Algeria Business Council. A/S Welch acknowledged that Algeria is one of the U.S.' most important trading partners in the Middle East, but said that because the bureaucracy is so outdated, it is difficult to do business there. Baali agreed that there is work to be done to attract additional U.S. investment, but opined that legislative changes would not be likely until after the Algerian presidential election. Military Relations -------------- ¶6. (C) Baali said that because of the weight of the past and a legacy of relations with the Soviet Union, it has been difficult for Algeria to form better military relations with the U.S. However, he said that a new guard of Algerian military leaders wants better military relations with the U.S. A/S Welch said that NEA has faced similar situations with other countries, but pointed out that a basic respect between U.S. and Algerian military and intelligence officials is lacking. Baali committed to improve the political dimension to those relationships. Congressional Outreach -------------- ¶7. (U) Baali acknowledged that his Embassy needs to increase its outreach, and therefore has tasked an additional diplomat to cover Congress. He said he would meet Senator Inhofe in December and would host a dinner for staffers on November 25. A/S Welch offered to help make introductions, stressing that the Secretary and NEA have good reputations on the Hill with both parties. REGIONAL ISSUES -------------- Western Sahara -------------- ¶8. (C) Baali assured A/S Welch that the U.S.-Algerian bilateral relationship would be more important to him than Western Sahara, but opined that the Moroccan autonomy plan had not succeeded, and that it was decreasingly likely to succeed in the future. He opined that if Bouteflika is re-elected president, he would take up the Western Sahara issue and work toward a solution. Solving Western Sahara would open a range of possibilities to improve regional relations. ¶9. (C) Baali said he had told Deputy Secretary Negroponte earlier in November that he understood why the U.S. had taken its position on Western Sahara, but suggested that a more neutral position could have helped. A/S Welch said that the U.S. took the position because it appeared to be the most realistic solution, but that it was difficult to ascertain how to achieve it. He opined that if Algeria projected a different attitude toward Morocco, Morocco could be more receptive. Baali said he hoped to see the issue solved. Algeria-Morocco relations -------------- ¶10. (C) A/S Welch said that as follow-up to the Secretary's trip to the region, it seemed propitious to invite the Algerian and Moroccan foreign ministers to meet with her on the margins of UNGA. FM Medelci first agreed, then declined under instructions from Bouteflika. A/S Welch stressed our intention not to embarrass anyone, but to facilitate better relations, without being directive. Baali confided that he heard Bouteflika had indeed agreed as long as the meeting was informal, with no mediation, but did not know why Bouteflika changed his mind. Guantanamo Detainees -------------- ¶11. (S) A/S Welch asked Baali to thank Bouteflika for the GOA's acceptance of the return of Algerian detainees from Guantanamo. Baali noted that the U.S. seemed to have a big problem with Yemeni detainees, since the Yemeni government would not be able to handle so many. A/S Welch said that the Algerian government could help by providing financial support to Yemen. He said that the Yemenis already receive technical support from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who have very effective rehabilitation programs. Broader Regional Affairs -------------- ¶12. (C) A/S Welch encouraged Baali to create more opportunities for a high-level dialog on broader regional issues, such as Israel-Palestine, Lebanon and Iran. He said that Palestinian president Abbas appreciated Algeria's support, and suggested it could be useful for us to discuss the goal of U.S. strategy on the issue in order to identify different ways to attain it. ¶13. (S) Turning to Iran, Baali said that if the U.S. becomes interested in opening a dialog with Iran, his government may be able to help. A/S Welch opined that Iran's behavior and the Israel-Palestine conflict intersect, and that if the time came, Algeria could be in a position to help with regard to Syria. ¶14. (C) On Iraq, A/S Welch asked for the Algerian government's assistance in urging key Iraqis to support the Iraqi parliament's approval of the U.S. Security Agreement with Iraq. RICE