US embassy cable - 05PARIS3766

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003766 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015 
TAGS: PREL, AG, WS, MO, TS, FR 
SUBJECT: MFA ON ALGERIAN RELATIONS WITH FRANCE AND MOROCCO, 
WESTERN SAHARA, AND TUNISIAN HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Minister-Counselor Paul Mailhot, reason 
s 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  Summary: MFA DAS-equivalent for the Maghreb Anne Mohsen, 
during a recent meeting with us, described French relations 
with Algeria as unaffected by controversy over the 1945 Setif 
massacre, with progress on track towards conclusion of a 
bilateral friendship treaty by year-end.  Mohsen suggested 
Algeria was more to blame for lack of progress in 
Moroccan-Algerian rapprochement, a continued GoF priority, 
and described Algiers as less hurried and less economically 
pressed than Morocco.  Mohsen confirmed continued French 
reserve on prospects for progress on the Western Sahara and 
noted that the GoF had sought to "calm down" the Spanish 
government from pressing too hard for a replacement for 
Western Sahara SRSG de Soto, for whom France has no preferred 
candidate.  Mohsen expressed GoF concern over the 
deteriorating human rights situation in Tunisia and its 
potential to undermine Tunisian stability, especially with 
the WSIS approaching.  Though France has not demarched the 
GOT or issued public statements on recent human rights cases, 
Mohsen confirmed that the GoF was reflecting on its human 
rights approach to Tunisia and asked us for recent USG public 
statements on the issue.  End summary. 
 
 
ALGERIA 
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2. (C) During a recent meeting with poloff, MFA 
DAS-equivalent for the Maghreb Anne Mohsen described French 
bilateral relations with Algeria as unharmed by recent 
controversy over the commemoration of the 1945 Setif 
massacres, and downplayed Algerian government statements 
comparing French colonial authorities' behavior during that 
period to that of the Nazis.  Mohsen said the GoF viewed the 
Setif issue as driven by internal dynamics in Algeria, and 
had successfully avoided being drawn into a public polemic on 
the issue.  She added that one of the most inflammatory GOA 
statements, attributed in the press to Bouteflika, had been 
made in his name by another minister.  She noted that 
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Renaud Muselier had 
been received warmly in Algiers by Algerian FM Bejdaoui and 
the new Prime Minister during a May 10-13 visit, amid 
Algerian press controversy over Setif.  Mohsen summed up that 
despite the controversy, the GoF and GoA were on track to 
conclude a landmark "friendship treaty" by year-end 2005, 
which will mark a historic advance in the long-troubled 
relations between Paris and Algiers. 
 
3. (C) Mohsen reaffirmed that the GoF continued to press for 
Algerian-Moroccan rapprochement at every opportunity. She 
blamed Algeria more than Morocco for lack of progress, and 
described the GOA as less hurried than Morocco, economically 
comfortable with high oil prices, and voicing increasingly 
dogmatic positions on Western Sahara   The Moroccans viewed 
new Algerian FM Bejdaoui as a longtime proponent of 
doctrinaire Algerian views on Western Sahara, and it remained 
to be seen whether Algeria was willing to be more pragmatic 
on the issue. 
 
WESTERN SAHARA 
-------------- 
 
4. (C) On Western Sahara developments, Mohsen reported that 
the GoF was seeking to calm down the Spanish, who were being 
overly eager in seeking a replacement for former SRSG for 
Western Sahara Alvaro de Soto.   The GoF had counseled the 
Spanish that rather than focusing on the personality of the 
next SRSG, we needed to focus collectively on creating the 
conditions conducive to a political solution and continue to 
encourage Algerian-Moroccan rapprochement, through moves such 
as reopening the border.  The French approach on Western 
Sahara, she quipped, was less exciting and much slower than 
what Spain was seeking, but in the end, had far greater 
potential to bear fruit.  Mohsen reported that the GoF had no 
preferred candidates to replace de Soto and did not want to 
rush the UN Secretariat to make a decision; nor did it want 
to leave a long void either.  Mohsen added that the UN 
Secretariat should consult in advance to ensure its choice is 
 
SIPDIS 
acceptable to the parties, and to the U.S., France, and 
Spain.  On a cautionary note, she observed that the next SRSG 
could not expect to revive the Baker Plan, which remained a 
non-starter for GOM. 
 
TUNISIA 
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5. (C) In response to poloff's raising U.S. concerns on the 
human rights situation in Tunisia, Mohsen affirmed that the 
GoF remained very concerned about Tunisia's deteriorating 
internal political situation and increased economic 
vulnerability.  She observed that the GoF saw no sign of 
Tunisia making any progress as the World Summit for the 
Information Society (WSIS) approaches; instead, political 
repression was increasing and earlier consideration for 
procedural trial norms had been abandoned.  All of these 
factors, she concluded, had the potential to undermine 
Tunisian stability.  Mohsen confirmed that the GoF had 
prepared press guidance on the Abbou lawyer case and that of 
other lawyers arrested by the GOT, but because no reporters 
had posed the question, the GoF had not issued any public 
statements of concern on the issue.  Mohsen confirmed that 
that GoF had not demarched the GOT about the Abbou case or 
other recent human rights issues.  She stressed, however, 
that EU members (including the presidency, EC, France, 
Germany, UK) had sent representatives to witness the Abbou 
trial, which in itself sent a message to the GOT. 
 
6. (C) Mohsen expressed interest in to what degree U.S. 
officials had raised human rights concerns with Tunisian 
officials and at what level such approaches were made. 
Poloff confirmed that the USG had made multiple, high-level 
approaches to the GOT on human rights issues in Tunis and 
Washington, and that human rights topped the agenda at the 
highest level U.S.-GOT encounters, including the Ben Ali 
visit to Washington in early 2004.  Mohsen reported that, 
especially with the WSIS approaching, the GoF was reflecting 
on how best to encourage improvements in Tunisia's internal 
situation and what approach would be most effective in 
generating a constructive response.  She noted that the GOT 
only seemed to be hardening its approach in response to 
appeals, such as that made to Ben Ali by the visiting 
European Parliament President, for Tunisia to deblock EU aid 
to the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LIDH).  Mohsen said 
it would be useful for her to have texts of recent U.S. 
statements on Tunisia.  Poloff provided Mohsen with the 
French-language version of the 2004 Country Human Rights 
Report on Tunisia, the May 5 Department spokesperson's 
statement on recent lawyer arrests in Tunisia, and the 
Tunisia excerpt of the "Supporting Human Rights and 
Democracy" report. 
 
COMMENT 
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7. (C) Comment: Although Mohsen will depart her current 
position at the end of June, we would like to continue 
dialogue with her successor, French Embassy in Beirut DCM 
Christian Testot, on human rights in the Maghreb countries, 
and seek to encourage the GoF to be more forthright in 
raising these issues with the GOT, in line with the private 
concerns on Tunisia's human rights situation which we have 
long heard from MFA and Elysee officials.  We would 
appreciate additional points which Washington might provide 
to encourage France and/or other EU members to adopt a more 
active stance in articulating human rights concerns to the 
Tunisian government.  There would be similar utility in 
encouraging the GoF to take a more active approach in raising 
human rights concerns in Algeria, to parallel U.S. messages 
to the GOA.  End comment. 
WOLFF