VZCZCXRO8507
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAS #1418 2141628
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021628Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1708
INFO RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 1396
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 6245
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 5810
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1900
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1346
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 8476
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 2724
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0380
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0369
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001418 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016 
TAGS: PREL PBTS PHUM WI MO AG
SUBJECT: GOA AND POLISARIO STATEMENTS ON ANNIVERSARY OF 
MOROCCAN KING'S ENTHRONEMENT 
 
REF: A. GMP20060729950027 
 
     ¶B. RABAT 1450 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Thomas F. Daughton, 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
BOUTEFLIKA'S POSITIVE MESSAGE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶1.  (U) President Bouteflika's statement of congratulations 
to King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the seventh anniversary of 
the King's enthronement (Ref A) was widely reported in the 
Algerian press July 30.  In his message, Bouteflika 
reiterated his steadfast determination to work with the 
Moroccan King to build bridges of cooperation and 
brotherhood, bringing bilateral ties to the highest level in 
order to serve the common interests of the two brotherly 
peoples, who are bound by a common history and future 
challenges.  "We hope that we will work hard to build this 
future so that the coming generations will enjoy affluence 
and prosperity," wrote Bouteflika, who called for 
strengthening the ties of solidarity and integration, which 
would enable the two peoples to face "the challenges of our 
time, its changes, and difficulties." 
 
POLISARIO RESTATES ITS POSITIONS 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Separately, the Polisario Front issued July 30 a 
statement rejecting King Mohammed VI's call for granting 
autonomy to the Western Sahara within a framework of Moroccan 
national sovereignty (Ref B).  The Polisario Front provided 
Embassy Algiers a copy of the statement August 2.  In the 
statement, issued in Arabic, the Polisario Front: 
 
-- Reiterated its condemnation of the intransigent Moroccan 
position on the Western Sahara; 
 
-- Condemned the systemic and brutal repression and flagrant 
human rights violations committed by the Moroccan authorities 
against Sahrawi citizens; 
 
-- Called for Morocco's lifting of the military and media 
blockade of the Western Sahara and the UN's provision of 
urgent and necessary mechanisms to protect Sahrawi citizens; 
 
-- Rejected all approaches to a solution of the Western 
Sahara issue outside the framework of international law and 
reiterated the rejection of all maneuvers aimed at 
encouraging the Moroccan status quo in Western Sahara; and 
 
-- Reiterated its attachment to UN resolutions calling on the 
international community to step up pressures and impose 
sanctions on the Moroccan government to convince it to 
implement urgently these resolutions, especially the 
legitimate right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination 
through a free, fair, and just referendum. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Algerians, perhaps taking their cue from Bouteflika's 
positive message, attended the Moroccan Ambassador's 
reception in Algiers in honor of the seventh anniversary of 
King Mohammed VI's enthronement in large numbers.  FM 
Bedjaoui was the highest ranking official known to the 
Embassy to have attended.  That said, MFA sources have told 
us that Bouteflika's statement should not be read as a green 
light for improved relations with Morocco absent positive 
movement on the Western Sahara issue.  The statement issued 
by the Polisario was not unexpected, especially in advance of 
the unveiling of Morocco's autonomy proposal. 
 
DAUGHTON