US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS1867

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001867 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, KAWC, AG 
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ALGERIANS SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE FROM 
GUANTANAMO 
 
REF: ALGIERS 1438 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) In an August 31 meeting on other issues, Ambassador 
pressed FM Bedjaoui for an early, favorable response 
conveying Algeria's readiness to accept the return of 
Algerian nationals scheduled for release from Guantanamo. 
Ambassador explained that the Embassy had raised this issue 
with the Ministry on several occasions and that some of these 
cases had dragged on for several months with no reply.  The 
response we always received was that the Algerian citizenship 
of these individuals had to be confirmed before Algeria could 
agree to receive them. 
 
2. (C) Ambassador said we fully understood the need to verify 
the citizenship of those involved and had already provided 
information that should have enabled the GOA to confirm their 
citizenship by now.  But we have seen no sign that follow-up 
action was being taken.  As an international jurist and 
judge, the Foreign Minister knew better than he (the 
Ambassador) the international legal obligations of a state to 
accept its own citizens.  The delay was a bit odd, Ambassador 
added, because Bedjaoui's predecessor, former FM Belkhadem, 
had raised Guantanamo detention cases with Secretary Powell 
during his November 2003 visit to Algiers.  It was important 
to act now, and positively, in order to avoid problems down 
the line. 
 
3. (C) Bedjaoui thanked Ambassador fro bringing this issue to 
his attention and readily acknowledged the international 
legal obligation of states to accept their own citizens. 
Noting he had not been aware of the issue, he undertook to 
ask his staff for all the data. " I have to face this problem 
very soon.  I don't want a bad result."  Guantanamo, he 
added, was a "heavy burden" for Algeria.  On the one hand, 
Algeria didn't like Guantanamo.  But on the other hand, it 
wasn't anxious to take these people back.  "We have to be 
consistent," he said, assuring that Algeria would of course 
respect its international legal obligations. 
ERDMAN