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PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAS #0274/01 0651910
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051910Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5414
INFO RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 8855
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2608
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 2230
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 7083
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 6279
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 1518
RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 0467
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 3313
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 000274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ODIP KDEM AG
SUBJECT: MFA OFFICIAL CALLS GOVERNMENT ATTACKS ON EMBASSY 
"INFORMAL" 
 
REF: A. ALGIERS 248 
     ¶B. ALGIERS 249 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Robert S. Ford; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  There was more media clamor on March 5 about 
the Algerian government accusations that the U.S. Embassy and 
the Ambassador of "interference" in internal Algerian affairs 
(ref A).  Government spokesman Boukerzaza told the press 
March 4 that there was no diplomatic crisis with the Embassy, 
but Prime Minister Belkhadem wanted to remind foreign 
embassies of diplomatic conventions.  We have received no 
official complaint of any kind.  The Ambassador on March 5 
asked Fatiha Selmane, MFA Director General for the Americas 
(Assistant Secretary equivalent), for an official explanation 
of the Prime Minister's March 2 use of the word 
"interference".  Selmane speculated that Belkhadem and 
Foreign Minister Medelci were only speaking informally, and 
that the Algerian press could not be trusted for accuracy. 
Pointing also to remarks from Belkhadem and Boukerzaza that 
political parties and civil society representatives should 
stop meeting foreign embassies, Ambassador asked if the 
Algerian government really had changed its policy and now 
considered such meetings to be improper.  The Ambassador 
underscored that in all our meetings we have stressed that 
the issue of constitutional change to allow a third term for 
President Bouteflika is for Algerians to decide.  We hope the 
GoA will stop making statements in the press about our 
meetings and let the issue fade out of the media limelight. 
In private conversations with Algerian officials, we need to 
underline that Algeria is a relatively open society and the 
government should not try to make it less so.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MFA: ATTACKS "INFORMAL ECHOES" OF POPULAR PROTEST 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador, DCM and PolEcon Chief called on the MFA on 
March 5 to ask for an explanation of the Prime Minister's 
March 2 accusation that the embassy's meetings with political 
parties and civil society organizations were interference in 
Algerian internal affairs.  Selmane, who was accompanied by 
MFA Deputy Director for North America Rachid Ouali, told us 
that she had no instructions on the matter, but she believed 
the prime minister and foreign minister had been speaking 
"informally" to the press.  They were, she speculated, merely 
relaying the "echoes of protest" from political parties and 
civil society organizations that had been building over time. 
 The Ambassador asked Selmane for official confirmation that 
Belkhadem and the rest of the government were asking 
political parties and civil society organizations not to meet 
with foreign embassies.  Selmane did not know, but promised 
to pass the question to higher levels.  She also blamed the 
Algerian press for exaggerating and "looking for scoops." 
 
¶3.  (C)  Ambassador agreed that the Algerian independent 
press makes plenty of mistakes.  He also noted that the 
Embassy had on March 3 issued a communique trying to reduce 
the media temperature.  By contrast, the Algerian government 
had made little effort and appeared comfortable letting the 
public believe erroneous press interpretations.  The 
Ambassador underlined if the GoA had a case, we would like to 
hear it, since we have been careful not to speak for or 
against the constitutional amendments and third presidential 
term issues.  If meetings themselves with private Algerians 
are interpreted as an interference then we wish to understand 
this change in Algerian policy. 
 
MFA AND COMMUNICATION 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Selmane stressed the importance of communication 
between the Embassy and MFA as essential to avoid 
misunderstandings, a point she said Medelci had made last 
week to NEA Assistant Secretary C. David Welch (ref B). 
Ambassador clarified that what A/S Welch had actually raised 
was the onus of passing all meeting requests through the 
MFA's Protocol office, which retards action and the growth of 
bilateral relations.  He cited the example of a February 5 
diplomatic note requesting a meeting with hydrocarbon 
parastatal Sonatrach to address urgent Embassy security 
issues.  To date, the meeting has not happened, and 
Ambassador pointed out that we could easily approach the 
 
ALGIERS 00000274  002 OF 002 
 
 
relevant Sonatrach officials directly but MFA Director of 
Protocol Abdelkader Mesdoua did not allow him to do so. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5. (C)  The local press remains seized with the subject of 
foreign embassies' meetings with political parties and civil 
society organizations, but the MFA has delivered no complaint 
of any kind.  One well-connected veteran MFA ambassador told 
Ambassador privately late March 5 that the constitutional 
amendment is still divisive within the Algerian political 
elite.  Those in favor of the amendment seek President 
Bouteflika's favor by attacking alleged American 
interference.  The newspapers are happy to run stories to 
sell more copy.  This MFA veteran cautioned that these 
Bouteflika sycophants would challenge the loyalty of any GoA 
official who tried to walk back the allegations of American 
interference.  This source recommended that both sides stop 
talking about the issue in the media and let the subject fade 
away from the press - a point he said he would make in his 
own meetings with top GoA officials.  If the meetings issue 
is indeed a wedge, political opportunists like the Prime 
Minister may keep raising it.  We hope the issue fades from 
the media, and we will structure our media approach with that 
goal.  A more problematic reality, however, is that officials 
within the Algerian government are telling their citizens 
that discussions with foreign embassies are not welcome.  It 
is important in our private conversations with Algerian 
officials to underline that Algeria for twenty years has been 
a relatively open society and the Government should not try 
to make it less so. 
FORD