US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS1876

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2015 
TAGS: KHLS, CASC, CFED, ASEC, AG 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RAISES ALGERIAN DEPORTEE ISSUE WITH 
FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
REF: STATE 121967 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) During an August 31 meeting with FM Bedjaoui on other 
issues, Ambassador (accompanied by PolEcon Chief) pressed the 
GOA to communicate quickly its willingness to accept the 
return of twelve Algerian deportees and issue them travel 
documents.  Ambassador said that we had raised these cases 
repeatedly with the GOA and that some of these cases had now 
been pending for up to two years. 
 
2. (C) As the Foreign Minister (a former head of the 
International Court of Justice) knew, Ambassador continued, 
states had an international legal obligation to accept their 
own citizens.  We recognized that Algeria needed to verify 
the Algerian nationality of these individuals.  Accordingly, 
we have provided the necessary personal information, 
including in several cases Algerian documentation.  All these 
individuals had also testified in U.S. courts that they were 
Algerian nationals. 
 
3. (C) However, despite repeated inquiries in both Algiers 
and Washington, we had unfortunately seen no evidence that 
serious follow-up action was being taken, Ambassador said. 
It was important to act now to resolve these pending cases in 
order to avoid serious problems down the line, should it be 
determined that Algeria was not honoring its legal 
obligations.  Algeria had recently received Algerian 
nationals deported from the United Kingdom and France. 
Algeria's delay in responding to our request to receive 
Algerian nationals being deported from the United States 
looked bad and gave the impression Algeria was not interested 
in cooperating. 
 
4. (C) FM Bedjaoui thanked Ambassador for bringing this issue 
to his attention, noting this was the first time he had heard 
of these cases.  He immediately acknowledged the 
international legal obligation of states to receive their own 
nationals.  He said he would ask his staff for background 
information on these cases, emphasizing that he wanted "to 
avoid a problem" over this issue. 
ERDMAN