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