ALGERIA ON SAHEL SUMMIT PREP: "THE CHAIN IS NOW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 000825 SIPDIS ADDIS ABABA FOR AU OBSERVER MISSION E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER PINR PGOV PBTS AG ML MR NG SUBJECT: ALGERIA ON SAHEL SUMMIT PREP: "THE CHAIN IS NOW COMPLETE" REF: A. ALGIERS 740 ¶B. ALGIERS 764 ALGIERS 00000825 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador David D. Pearce; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Algeria expects a regional heads of state meeting in Bamako on regional security cooperation before the end of the year. MFA Director General for African Affairs Magramane said he expects the summit to result in an action plan to address both joint security operations and development initiatives. He said governments in the Sahel region shared a common view of the threat from terrorism, and their views on security cooperation have matured. Magramane said the prospects for a successful summit had been bolstered by the resolution of Mauritania's constitutional crisis and security discussions held during recent African Union (AU) meetings in Libya. On a related issue, Magramane reiterated Algeria's support for an AU initiative at the UN to rally international opposition against ransom payments in cases of piracy and hostage-taking. While there was no draft text yet, he said Algeria hoped such a measure would be introduced at the UN Security Council and that the U.S. would support it. He said initial consultations in New York would build on the AU's recent call for a stronger international legal regime against the payment of ransoms, on the grounds that this amounted to financing international terrorism. The Ambassador said the first step would be to share the specifics of any proposal with the U.S. and other missions in New York. END SUMMARY. REGIONAL SUMMIT PROSPECTS - "THE CHAIN IS NOW COMPLETE" -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Algerian MFA Director General for African Affairs Lounes Megramane told the Ambassador September 13 that combating terrorism had become a higher priority for all nations in the region. He said not all countries had previously felt the same sense of urgency as Algeria, but views were now "more mature" concerning not only the threat from terrorist groups in the Sahel, such as al-Qai'da in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM),but also the need for regional cooperation. During the past several months, he said, Algeria has been working with other regional governments to define the security threat in the Sahel by examining the local context in which extremist groups operate as well as by reviewing other issues that undermine stability, particularly criminal activity like drug and arms smuggling. Magramane said limiting terrorists' access to sources of finance was a key counterterrorism goal in the region, where the payment of ransoms for hostages was viewed as a new, potentially destabilizing evolution. ¶3. (C) Magramane was upbeat about preparations for the regional heads of state summit in Bamako. He told the Ambassador that Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure was actively engaged in the process, and experts continued their work at sub-ministerial meetings on drafting a joint declaration and action plan for cooperation. Magramane said the summit would take place sometime after Ramadan but not later than the end of the year. He said discussions on regional security during recent AU meetings in Libya had already set the stage for a constructive dialogue. Magramane said he was confident that the summit would leave governments with a concrete framework for managing collective action on security matters in the Sahel. Magramane said mechanisms to monitor the implementation of the action plan should address development needs, in addition to joint security operations. He underscored Algeria's non-military engagement in northern Mali, which provides USD 10 million in assistance to drill water wells and build medical clinics as well as vocational training centers in Kidal and Gao. ¶4. (C) The African Affairs DG said the timing of the Bamako summit was important. He noted that the end of Mauritania's constitutional crisis, as well as its recent reinstatement in the AU, had made it possible for Mauritania to participate fully in the summit. "The chain is now complete," he said. Mauritania's importance to the discussions could not be overlooked. The country's vast border with Mali made it a ALGIERS 00000825 002.2 OF 002 vital part of the region's security landscape. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador said that the interests of the U.S. and other countries had also been targeted by terrorists in the region and what happened in the Sahel was a matter of considerable attention outside the area as well. Magramane acknowledged the high level of interest in western capitals and said Algeria's Ambassador to the U.S., Abdallah Baali, had discussed the issue with senior U.S. officials. Magramane added that Algeria's ambassador-designate to Mali, Noureddine Ayadi, who has been serving as the deputy to presidential counter-terrorism advisor Kamel Rezag Bara, was well informed on issues in the Sahel. RANSOM PAYMENTS KEY REGIONAL CT FOCUS -------------- ¶6. (C) Magramane reiterated Algeria's support for introducing at the UN an AU-backed initiative on banning ransom payments to terrorist groups (refs A, B). Ambassador asked Magramane whether Algeria had started consultations with missions in New York, noting that we had yet to see a draft text of a proposal. Magramane replied that there was no draft yet and consultations were under way to determine how best to proceed. He believed initial discussions in New York would draw on the AU's resolution against ransom payments to terrorist groups (Assembly/AU/Dec.256(XIII)), adopted during the 1-3 July AU 13th ordinary session in Syrte, Libya. The AU declaration recommends the UNSC adopt a "restrictive resolution" against the payment of ransom to existing UNSC resolutions 1373 and 1267. It also calls on the General Assembly to consider a supplementary protocol on ransom payments to the convention on the suppression of terrorist financing or the international convention against the taking of hostages. Magramane said Algeria hoped a measure would be introduced at the UN Security Council and that the U.S. would support it. The Ambassador said the first step would be to share the specifics of any proposal with the U.S. and other missions in New York. PEARCE