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DE RUEHAS #0931/01 1830800
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 020800Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3947
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0047
RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 0184
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1666
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 1232
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2243
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 1828
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 6668
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 0058

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000931 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2017 
TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN PREL AG
SUBJECT: CONTINUING TO ENGAGE NGOS AND MFA ON TIP 
 
REF: ALGIERS 859 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Robert Ford; reasons 1.4 (b, d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Following the June 12 release of the 2007 
Trafficking in Persons report, we are continuing to engage 
NGOs and the Algerian government on TIP.  The GOA feels it 
has been unfairly lumped into Tier 3 status with countries 
whose TIP problem it considers to be more severe.  The GOA 
insists it is addressing the issue, mainly by amending legal 
texts to outlaw trafficking specifically.  We have pushed 
back that the Algerians need to publicly acknowledge that 
trafficking is a problem and appoint a GOA official with whom 
we can work directly.  We have also stressed that 
enforcement, and not just legal text changes, are important 
to changing Algeria's Tier 3 status.  NGOs have indicated 
they are willing to raise awareness.  This cable includes an 
action request at the bottom.  END SUMMARY. 
 
NGOs WILLING TO ENGAGE ON TIP 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) As part of ongoing efforts to engage civil society on 
TIP, poloff met separately on June 25 and 26 with European 
NGO CISP and Algerian NGO AIDS Algerie.  CISP, a European NGO 
based in Italy, works on illegal immigration and trafficking 
issues.  AIDS Algerie, an Algerian NGO, works on commercial 
sex work issues.  Both organizations were willing to explore 
partnering opportunities to raise public awareness of the TIP 
problem.  (Comment:  NGOs here need to boost their public 
discussion of the TIP problem lest this issue look like one 
raised solely by the American Government.  They don't really 
know how to do this, and it will take alot of work from our 
end to spur this forward.  End Comment.) 
 
GOA STILL UNHAPPY ABOUT TIER 3 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) In a June 27 lunch, MFA Secretary General (no. 2) 
Ramtane Lamamra and MFA representatives reiterated to use 
their surprise and dismay at Algeria's Tier 3 status in the 
2007 TIP report.  They claimed that the Algerian legal 
framework and enforcement was no worse than that in Morocco 
and Tunisia and yet only Algeria had landed on Tier 3.  The 
Ambassador responded that we had cautioned the GOA last 
winter that such a ranking would be likely.  He said that to 
move forward, we would like to see GOA public recognition of 
the broad problem in Algeria of human trafficking - and not 
just the subset of the sex trade.  Ambassador reiterated our 
previous request to the MFA that the Algerian Government name 
an official TIP point of contact (reftel).  Ambassador again 
said this POC should not just be the U.S. desk officer at the 
MFA if the GOA wants to work with us seriously.  The 
Algerians hinted that the MOJ might be able to name a TIP 
point of contact.  (Comment:  the MFA will have to sell that 
idea to the MOJ.  We have been trying for weeks to get a 
meeting with the Justice Minister but so far have been 
rebuffed.  End Comment.) 
 
¶4. (C) Lamamra and MFA Director General for the Americas 
Fatiha Selmane acknowledged that Algerian law did not 
specifically address trafficking, but said the GOA was 
working on the issue.  MFA representatives said the 
government was in the process of reexamining laws to address 
TIP, and that it was possible that the justice ministry (MOJ) 
could make a public announcement on TIP.  They pointed to GOA 
ratification of several international conventions that 
address TIP-related issues as evidence that Algeria was 
serious about addressing the problem.  The Ambassador 
applauded moves to update Algerian laws but underlined that 
enforcement, including arrests, prosecutions and punishment, 
were vital for us. 
 
¶5. (C) COMMENT:  Two weeks after its June 12 roll-out, the 
2007 TIP report remains a sore spot for the GOA, though it is 
unclear to what extent this wounded pride will serve as a 
catalyst for real progress.  Consistently on message, Lamamra 
said, "You can't put us in with countries like Saudi Arabia." 
 For Lamamra and MFA Americas Director General Selmane, the 
difference between the GOA position and that of the USG on 
TIP is one of semantics, not substance.  For this reason, 
they are sincere in their belief that the GOA is working on 
the issue.  We keep reminding them that we want to see more 
than changes in legal texts, although such changes are 
welcome too.  To date, however, they have been unable to show 
much in the concrete action aside from arrests of persons 
involved in the sex trade here.  Meanwhile, NGOs such as CISP 
and AIDS Algerie are amazed at GOA silence on the issue. 
They are not doing much publicly either, however.  In sum, 
this is an uphill effort here. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Action Request:  It would be extremely useful to 
have from the Department information about why other North 
African countries avoided as low a ranking as Algeria so that 
we can get the GOA past its suspicions that the Tier 3 
ranking is a political message. 
 
FORD