ALGERIA RESPONSE TO U.S. POINTS ON GOLDSTONE REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000988 SIPDIS FOR IO/HR - PAUL KRUCHKOWSKI IO/UNP - ANDREW MORRISON NEA/IPA - JEFFRAY GIAUQUE USUN FOR ELLEN GERMAIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PTER KPAL AG IS UN SUBJECT: ALGERIA RESPONSE TO U.S. POINTS ON GOLDSTONE REPORT REF: A) STATE 112828 B) ALGIERS 973 Classified By: Ambassador David D. Pearce. Reason: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) P/E chief delivered ref A points November 4 to Abdelkedar Hedjazi, Director of the MFA's Office of the Arab Magreb and Arab Maghreb Union, emphasizing in particular the need to avoid UNGA resolutions related to the Goldstone report that could complicate the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. He recalled that FM Medelci had recently told visiting NEA A/S Feltman (ref B) that Algeria could not take steps to normalize ties with Israel absent a peace agreement but that it would also not do anything to make this more difficult. ¶2. (C) P/E chief also noted that Feltman had also sought Algeria's help in international institutions. We are trying to build the right atmosphere for negotiations; there are a lot of resolutions and decrees in international fora that make that task more difficult. We could use Algeria's help in ensuring that some of these things don't happen. The UNGA discussion of the Goldstone report was such a situation, i.e., one where we hoped the discussion could be moderated in such a way that decisions are not taken that could harm prospects for resuming Palestinian/Israeli negotiations. ¶3. (C) Hedjazi said he would immediately brief senior MFA officials on this demarche. However, he said he had noticed a recent statement by PA President Abbas that his participation in the resumption of negotiations should be subject to decision by the Arab world. Saying that he was speaking personally, he also recounted hearing other Arab diplomats claim that the West applied a double standard in creating an international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the crimes of Milosevic but none to investigate crimes committed in Gaza. ¶4. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. PEARCE