US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS1971

UNCLAS ALGIERS 001971 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM, KPAO, PREL, KMPI, AG 
SUBJECT: ALGERIA TO ATTEND RABAT DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE 
DIALOGUE MEETING 
 
REF: STATE 171708 
 
1.  DCM participated in a joint demarche with UK Charge Nick 
Low and Italian DCM Antonio Bellavia on MFA Director General 
for the Americas Cherif Chikhi September 26 to encourage high 
level GOA participation at the October 1-3 BMENA Democracy 
Assistance Dialogue meeting in Rabat.  Chikhi, who will be a 
member of the delegation, confirmed that Algeria will 
participate at a "high level," although he explained that 
Foreign Minister Bedjaoui would not be able to attend because 
he had just returned from New York that day and his schedule 
was "full" for the next week. 
 
2.  Chikhi noted that Algeria is developing its democratic 
institutions and strongly supports the BMENA process in 
general and the promotion of political pluralism and 
government dialogue with civil society in particular.  He did 
note, however, that one of the Algerian civil society 
participants, Ihsane El-Kadi, is identified on the agenda as 
a journalist from the daily Le Quotidien d'Oran, a paper with 
which El-Kadi is no longer affiliated.  Bellavia noted that 
the Italian NGO No Peace Without Justice had selected the 
civil society participants, but the important thing was to 
promote a dialogue between them and regional governments. 
Chikhi said he agreed. 
ERDMAN