ALGERIANS AND POLISARIO READY FOR VIENNA

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 000729 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS PREF KPKO AG MO MR SUBJECT: ALGERIANS AND POLISARIO READY FOR VIENNA REF: ALGIERS 514 Classified By: Ambassador David D. Pearce for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. The Algerians and Polisario are both ready for the informal talks on Western Sahara August 9 in Vienna. In separate meetings August 3, representatives of both the GOA and the Polisario told us they respect the effort of UNSYG Special Envoy Ross and find that his no-agenda approach could be effective in creating an atmosphere where all ideas could be tabled. Both also expressed doubts, however, that Morocco will enter the talks without preconditions, as they say is called for by UNSC resolution 1871 and Ambassador Ross, based on the Moroccan king's recent speech in which he publicly restated his government's "attachment to" the Moroccan autonomy plan. Algeria, meanwhile, insists that its bilateral relationship with Morocco should not be considered an element for these talks, and should not be linked to efforts to achieve a resolution to the Western Sahara question. END SUMMARY. GOA ON BOARD FOR VIENNA -------------- ¶2. (S) Algerian MFA Secretary General Bouguerra told the Ambassador that Minister Delegate Abdelkader Messahel has been instructed to go to Vienna August 9 at the request of Ambassador Ross to be present, along with a Mauritanian representative, for consultation as needed during informal talks between representatives of Morocco and the Polisario. Bouguerra said Algerian officials have also been told to respect Ambassador Ross' request for discretion in publicly discussing the process. He said he was surprised that the Spanish foreign minister publicly revealed the talks last week and that King Mohammed VI pointedly discussed the Moroccan autonomy plan during his speech last week commemorating his ascension to the throne. Bouguerra wondered why the Spanish would take such a public role in announcing the talks, saying that all interested parties, including Algeria, France, Spain, Mauritania, and the United States, should let Ambassador Ross decide when any statements should be made and should coordinate any statement with him. ¶3. (S) Bouguerra reiterated his government's position in favor of a resolution to the Western Sahara conflict that would accommodate the right of Sahrawi self-determination but said that his government is prepared to help Ambassador Ross in any way possible to reopen a way forward toward building new confidence among the parties in order to achieve a new round of Manhasset talks. Bouguerra said that the GOA accepted Ross at his word when he said he would have no agenda for Vienna and that the informal talks will be between the two parties only, with Algeria and Mauritania held in a side room for consultations on issues such as refugees and counting troops. POLISARIO: PRECONDITIONS ALL OVER AGAIN -------------- ¶4. (C) Polisario "Ambassador" to Algeria Brahim Ghali told the DCM on the same afternoon that the Polisario delegation appreciated Ross' approach to the talks, and noted that the new format was a welcome departure from previous Manhasset rounds. Ghali told us that the Polisario has not prepared a proposal for the Vienna meeting because Ross has not shared a working agenda and because they perceive that Ross wants to use the first meeting to create a productive ambiance. Ghali said, "we have total confidence in Ross, and he will have our full cooperation," but he accused King Mohammed of trying to spoil the talks through his recent speech, which he saw as a renewed effort to set the Moroccan autonomy plan as the sole base for discussions. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador and DCM both told their interlocutors that the U.S. hoped all parties would avoid statements that would complicate Ambassador Ross' task and approach the Vienna discussions in a positive and constructive spirit. ALGIERS 00000729 002 OF 002 Ghali retorted that it was the Moroccans who had spoken first, which forced Polisario officials to respond. ¶6. (C) On the Manhasset process, Ghali said previous Manhasset rounds failed because UNSYG Personal Envoy Van Walsum had managed the process poorly and allowed Morocco to attach preconditions to the talks. "We have always accepted Morocco's autonomy proposal as one option from which the Sahrawi people would have the right to choose in exercising their right of self-determination," Ghali stated. Morocco's insistence on using its autonomy plan alone as the basis for negotiations, however, was an unacceptable precondition. Ghali noted that despite past failures, the Polisario would still consider another Manhasset round. He said the Sahrawi were ready to examine Morocco's proposal, but that Morocco needed to consider Polisario's proposal as well. Ghali spent considerable time rehashing old complaints about Morocco's intransigence from its autonomy position and unwillingness, with French backing, to allow a UN human rights report, prepared in 2006 following a mission to Moroccan-"occupied" Western Sahara and the refugee camps in Tindouf, to be released. ¶7. (C) Ghali also stressed that the international community needed to address the lack of confidence that exists on both sides. Ghali asserted that confidence building measures, like family exchange visits sponsored by the UN, do not address the problem. "There is not a lack of confidence among the people," he said, "but a lack of contact between leaders on both sides. We never talk to each other." Ghali suggested political measures, such as joint commissions to address issues like de-mining, were needed to promote a more meaningful dialogue. He added that the United States was the only country with sufficient influence to break years of deadlocked negotiations. Ghali believed the U.S., and other UNSC members, needed to advise Morocco of the need to demonstrate more good faith and give the talks a fair chance at success. DEFINITELY NOT ON THE AGENDA: ALGERIA/MOROCCO RELATIONS -------------- -------------- ¶8. (S) Algerian MFA Secretary General Bouguerra also told the Ambassador that, while Ambassador Ross has indicated that there is no agenda for the Vienna talks, one thing that definitely would not be discussed is Algerian/Moroccan bilateral relations. Bouguerra said that Ross has already indicated that the bilateral relationship should not be part of the discussion, only issues related to UNSCR 1871. The Ambassador told Bouguerra that the USG would like to see better relations between Algeria and its neighbor, and that the question of the Western Sahara has an impact on that relationship. Bouguerra was insistent that the USG not see the issues as parallel: "Our friends have an interest in the relationship between Algeria and Morocco. That's OK, but it is not tied to the Western Sahara." He reiterated that Ross' mandate, like UNSCR 1871, is clear, and the bilateral relationship is not part of it. ¶9. (S) COMMENT: Unlike recent conversations with President Bouteflika (reftel),Bouguerra did not offer an example of acceptable models for Western Sahara self-determination short of independence, such as Puerto Rico or San Marino. Instead, he focused on what he described as the GOA's trust and confidence in Ross as a mediator and Algeria's willingness to cooperate fully with his recommendations for procedural next steps. While both the Algerians and the Polisario say they see hope in Ross' no-agenda approach to the informal talks, their accusations that Morocco comes to the table with preconditions based on its previous autonomy plan reflect their own redlines about self-determination, suggesting that Ambassador Ross faces a tough road ahead toward restarting, or reformulating, the Manhasset talks. PEARCE