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### Viewing cable 09ALGIERS1077, BOUTEFLIKA TO WARD: WE WANT A STRATEGIC

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09ALGIERS1077 | 2009-12-06 07:07 | 2010-12-10 21:09 | SECRET | Embassy Algiers

`

    VZCZCXYZ0001
    OO RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHAS #1077/01 3400757
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    O 060757Z DEC 09
    FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8190
    INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
    RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO IMMEDIATE 1048
    RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY IMMEDIATE 1989
    RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT IMMEDIATE 6814
    RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE 1259

` `

    S E C R E T ALGIERS 001077

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2019
    TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PBTS KPAL KWBG US IR IZ IS
    AF, XA
    SUBJECT: BOUTEFLIKA TO WARD: WE WANT A STRATEGIC
    RELATIONSHIP

    Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. William Jordan;
    reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    Summary
    -------

    ¶1. (C) U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General
    William Ward met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
    November 25, during Ward's first visit to Algeria since
    assuming command of AFRICOM. Ward said AFRICOM's strategy
    was to assist African nations in providing for their own
    security needs, not do the job for them. The U.S. recognized
    Algeria's leadership in the region, and AFRICOM was prepared
    to assist Algeria and its neighbors combat terrorism.
    Bouteflika said Algeria wanted to be a strategic partner, not
    an adversary. Our military relationship already included
    training and technical cooperation. End-use-monitoring
    requirements infringed on Algeria's national sovereignty and
    therefore imposed some limits on military engagement. But
    the U.S. and Algeria shared a common goal in combating
    terrorism. Terrorism in the region had taken a dangerous
    form, and Sahel countries were prepared to address the
    problem jointly. More needed to be done to ensure the
    participation and commitment of Mali's political leadership
    in the regional struggle. Bouteflika told Ward the Malian
    president needed to understand he could not be friends with
    both the thieves and their victims at the same time.
    Trans-Sahara heads of state still planned to convene a
    security and development summit in Bamako but had yet to set
    a firm date. Bouteflika also reviewed Egyptian-Algerian
    tensions in the aftermath of a World Cup qualifying match,
    Western Sahara, the negative repercussions of Israeli
    settlement activities, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. On the
    soccer issue, he made a point of telling Ward that the king
    of Morocco -- in contrast to the strain with Egypt -- had
    sent him a very warm congratulatory message after the game.
    At the end of the meeting, Bouteflika invited Ward to return
    to Algeria in the near future. End summary.

    Addressing Common Challenges
    ----------------------------

    ¶2. (C) Visiting Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General
    William Ward met with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
    November 25 at the presidential residence. With Bouteflika
    were Chief of Staff of the Algerian National Popular Army
    (ANP) Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid-Salah, Ministry of
    National Defense (MND) Director of External Relations and
    Cooperation General Nourredine Mekri, ANP Chief of
    Organization and Logistics Major General Abdelhamid Ghriss
    and a translator. The Ambassador, General Ward's foreign
    policy advisor, Dr. Raymond Brown, the DATT and Poloff
    (notetaker) accompanied General Ward to the meeting, which
    lasted two hours. Ward emphasized that his visit to Algiers
    was symbolic of our countries' growing bilateral
    relationship. Africa Command's mission was to assist African
    nations address their own security challenges, not to do it
    for them. The purpose of his visit, Ward said, was to listen
    to Algeria's perspective on enhancing our cooperation as we
    seek ways to work together to address common challenges in
    Africa. Ward recognized that these challenges were complex
    and required development and political solutions, not just
    military intervention. Going forward, we sought to cooperate
    in areas that Algeria determines are priorities. AFRICOM
    welcomed the regional counterterrorism efforts Algeria has
    engaged in with neighboring Sahel countries. Algeria is
    leading the effort; we will work with Algeria and its
    neighbors to assist in eliminating the terrorist threat in
    the region.

    ¶3. (C) President Bouteflika said that the United States and
    Algeria shared a common objective and the will to work
    cooperatively in the fight against terrorism. Bouteflika
    noted the U.S. and Algeria started to work more closely
    together during the Clinton administration when both sides
    came to realize they were fighting the same problem.
    Bouteflika underscored that after 9/11, Algeria was the first
    Arab and Muslim country to send a message of solidarity to
    President Bush. Subsequently, despite the unpopularity of
    some Bush policies, political and economic relations between
    our countries improved. Today, relations were excellent, he
    said, noting that Algeria was the United States' second
    largest trading partner in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia
    and our largest trading partner in Africa. President Obama's
    new approach to U.S. foreign policy was "a breath of fresh
    air" and well regarded by developing world countries. But
    this meant there were also high expectations for his
    administration. Bouteflika predicted that our bilateral
    relationship would continue in a positive direction. He
    commented that the U.S. and Algeria were moving forward with
    cooperation, recognizing the value of dialogue across all
    leadership levels. In this regard, Bouteflika declared he
    was ready to assist Ward and invited him to visit Algeria
    again.

    Military Cooperation
    --------------------

    ¶4. (S) Bouteflika attached importance to Algeria's
    military-military cooperation with the United States but
    noted that U.S. end-use monitoring requirements contravened
    Algeria's national sovereignty. Nonetheless, we had made
    progress on training and technical cooperation. Bouteflika
    said the capabilities of U.S. and Algerian forces were well
    understood in the region. Bouteflika argued that frank,
    direct talks were the key to a successful military dialogue,
    as well as recognizing that, in some cases, there would be
    limits on the extent of cooperation. "Tell us what you want,
    and we will tell you what we can do." Algeria, he continued,
    wanted to be a strategic partner for the U.S. in the region,
    not an adversary.

    ¶5. (S) General Ward thanked Bouteflika for his candid
    assessment of our mil-mil relationship. He said the
    President, secretaries of State and Defense, and US Joint
    Chiefs of Staff, all recognized the value of the US-Algeria
    partnership. Bouteflika responded that he would help us to
    consolidate that partnership. Ward argued that to enhance
    our partnership, Algeria needed to tell us how we can
    contribute best to achieve mutual objectives. Despite the
    bad things sometimes said about AFRICOM, Ward said with a
    smile, his command had not been created to take over Africa.
    Without missing a beat, Bouteflika replied with an even
    bigger smile that he had been unsure about this himself until
    Ward came. Ward said that, as we continue our military
    dialogue, we want to do the things Algeria tells us are
    important. Ward affirmed Algeria had long recognized the
    challenge of extremism and demonstrated its ability to fight
    back. AFRICOM would do its part to support Algeria and its
    neighbors in this effort. Addressing Bouteflika's point on
    end-use-monitoring requirements, Ward suggested focusing our
    efforts in areas where cooperation was possible, i.e.,
    training and equipping. He acknowledged that some U.S. laws
    and regulations may preclude for now Algeria's participation
    in other forms of engagement.

    Civil-Military Relations
    ------------------------

    ¶6. (S) Bouteflika underscored that Algeria's military
    "absolutely" respected the authority of civilian leadership.
    "This is not at all like Turkey," he said. Bouteflika
    asserted that the army was forced to take drastic measures
    during the violence of the 1990s in order to save the
    country. This was a difficult period, but constitutional
    rule had been restored. "The house is now in order," he
    stressed, "and I can tell you that the army obeys the
    civilians. There is one constitution and all obey it."
    Bouteflika acknowledged, however, that the problems of the
    past still haunted the country. He cited foreign press
    reports referring to Algeria as a dictatorship and argued
    that the term was sometimes used carelessly. The Algerian
    constitution had established the rule of law. In 2004 it was
    decided that there was no more historical "revolutionary
    legitimacy". The only legitimacy was the constitution.
    "Anyone can be a candidate for election, in accordance with
    the constitution, even a general." He paused, then grinned
    and said, "but the generals realize the difficulties and none
    has been a candidate yet."

    Counterterrorism
    ----------------

    ¶7. (C) Bouteflika said terrorism in Africa had taken a
    dangerous form. The situation in Somalia was hopeless, he
    commented. Meanwhile, the Sahel region presented a complex
    set of issues. Fortunately, most Sahel countries were
    determined to cooperate and have the capability to fight the
    threat if they work together. Mauritania expressed a clear
    commitment as did Niger, although Bouteflika recognized U.S.
    concerns with President Tandja. Mali's full cooperation
    remained elusive, however. Mali's policies have failed to
    create stability in the north. The result is a lawless
    environment in which smuggling, along with arms and drug
    trafficking, enable terrorism. Bouteflika said the region
    was prepared to tackle this problem, and bilateral and
    regional efforts were already underway. In this regard,
    Algeria was closely monitoring U.S. military assistance to
    Mali and Niger.

    ¶8. (S) Ward told Bouteflika that he planned to visit Bamako
    after Algiers and would encourage Mali's leaders to cooperate
    in the region's counterterrorism efforts. The U.S. was
    providing military assistance to Mali, and we hoped it
    complemented the work Algeria was doing. Ward emphasized
    that, ultimately, defeating terrorism was the responsibility
    of the region. Bouteflika expressed his appreciation for
    U.S. assistance to Mali and said Algeria also provided aid,
    including some equipment. Bouteflika urged the U.S. to tell
    Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure that "he cannot be a
    friend to the thieves and victims at the same time." Many in
    Mali's security services shared the same concern, Bouteflika
    asserted. In the past, he said, Algeria has waited for the
    chance to debrief terrorist suspects held in Mali, only to
    find out later that Malian officials were conducting
    negotiations for the terrorist's release back to the
    terrorist organizations at the same time. "It is difficult
    to cooperate in these conditions," he said. Despite
    difficulties, Bouteflika said regional leaders still planned
    to convene a security and development summit in Bamako. All
    agreed on the need for the summit, he said, but there was
    still no set date. Bouteflika said that Algeria would be
    open to sharing information with the U.S. regarding Algeria's
    cooperation with its neighbors. General Ward said AFRICOM
    would do the same for Algeria regarding U.S. initiatives in
    the region.

    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    ¶16. (S) The Ward-Bouteflika meeting was significant in a
    number of respects. The Algerian president spoke repeatedly
    of his readiness to build a strategic relationship with the
    US. He transmitted clear readiness for closer coordination
    and contact on Sahel counter-terrorism issues. The simple
    fact of the meeting with the president was itself a green
    light to the military bureaucracy on stepped-up bilateral
    military cooperation. Not least, the warm and high-level
    official reception provided a powerful antidote to the
    persistent negative mythology about Africa Command since the
    command's rollout. It was also noteworthy that, in the
    presence of three generals, including the chief of staff,
    Bouteflika spoke assertively to Ward about civilian control
    of the military. He described the revolutionary origins of
    military influence in Algeria, said this so-called
    revolutionary legitimacy ended in 2004, and the military now
    obeys the civilians and they all obey the constitution. In
    the course of his regional political review, Bouteflika
    delivered Algeria's views on Western Sahara in familiar
    terms. But in doing so, he also struck an unusually
    positive note about Morocco and the king's message. Clearly,
    in the context of the high emotions stirred in Algeria over
    the controversial World Cup contest with Egypt, Mohammed VI's
    message of congratulations struck a chord with Bouteflika.
    JORDAN

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