US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS1878

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001878 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, Terrorism 
SUBJECT: COMPREHENSIVE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 161624 
 
     B. STATE 105937 
     C. ALGIERS 1418 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, 
for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 
1. (C) Due to absence abroad of both Foreign Minister 
Bedjaoui and Secretary General Lamamra, Ambassador delivered 
Secretary's letter urging conclusion of the Comprehensive 
 
SIPDIS 
Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) without delay to 
MFA Mulilateral Relations Director General Belhimeur on 
September 5.  Belhimeur expressed appreciation for the letter 
(and Embassy's informal French translation)and said he would 
bring it to the Minister's attention as soon as possible. 
 
2. (C) Ambassador also deployed reftel talking points, 
stressing our hope that Algeria would help find a bridge that 
would resolve outstanding issues preventing conclusion of the 
CCIT convention.  Belhimeur said Algeria had suffered 
firsthand from terrorism for a decade or more.  No country 
wanted more than Algeria to conclude the convention and 
reinforce international efforts to combat the scourge of 
terrorism, he claimed.  He said Algeria would work in a 
flexible spirit and agreed on the desirability of concluding 
the convention without further delay. 
 
3. (C) While there remained a definitional problem, 
Belkhimeur felt "the lawyers" could work out the necessary 
language to bridge differences.  He also agreed with the 
Secretary's point that a failure to conclude the convention 
 
SIPDIS 
during this General Assembly would send the wrong message to 
terrorists and their supporters and make it more difficult to 
revive the prospect of a CCIT in the near term.  Ambassador 
underscored that the international community needed to speak 
with moral clarity on this issue, making clear that terrorist 
acts could not be justified by any political cause. 
ERDMAN