61. Telegram From the Embassy in Algeria to the Department of State1
1653. Subject: Multilateral Diplomacy and Algeria. Ref: State 148782.2
1. Algeria’s philosophy of revolutionary socialism, its economic self-interest, and its political commitments as Arab/African state bring Algerians to oppose us on most multilateral issues.
2. Question becomes not how can we convert Algerians but how best we can reduce their impact, either by stifling their activism or by undercutting their influence.
3. Past year has seen decline in both Algerian activism and influence because of GOA focus on Sahara and on internal institution-building and economic development.
4. This focus provides opportunity we can attempt exploit to further the decline. Algerians hope that new US administration will be more forthcoming on such Algerian concerns as Sahara and New International Economic Order.3 In addition Algerians have had to recognize increasing difficulty of obtaining financing for their development projects. These factors have produced distinct improvement in atmosphere of US-Algerian bilateral relations and have had spillover on Algerian behavior in international fora, for example at CIEC meeting in Paris.
5. In this context, organizing for multilateral diplomacy vis-a-vis Algeria involves:
A. Continued effort to maintain and expand cordial bilateral atmosphere by such actions as:
I. Continued briefings on President’s, Vice President’s, and Secretary’s meetings on Middle East and Southern African issues;
II. Boumediene visit to US in 1978;
[Page 167]III. Continued public neutrality on Sahara and show of flexibility in North-South dialogue.
B. Continued effort to ensure Algerians aware of our views on key multilateral issues and of importance we attach to them by such actions as:
I. Use of Presidential and Secretarial messages on key issues;
II. Repeated mention of key issues not only by Embassy on specific instructions but also by high-ranking visitors;
III. Provision of French translations to post.
6. We cannot expect to change many Algerian positions. We can expect to contribute to muffling their influence. On many issues, such as Middle East and Southern Africa, Algerians have abdicated responsibility for articulating own positions and have indicated willingness to go along with whatever parties directly concerned accept. On other issues, such as illicit payments and ILO, Algerians have been increasingly satisfied to remain “in the middle of the pack”, as one Foreign Ministry official expressed it, rather than to lead pack as they have in past.
7. For time being we should concentrate on encouraging these trends. Further on down line, as our economic/commercial and cultural ties grow and as past suspicions diminish, we may be able to do more. Algerians have already demonstrated willingness to assist us on certain restricted issues, for example diplomatic relations with Iraq. It will be a while before we can expect such cooperation on broader multilateral issues. In meantime, we should work to preserve and further their silence and inactivity.
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East, Subject File, Box 1, Algeria: 2–12/77. Confidential.↩
- In telegram 148782 to all diplomatic posts, June 25, the Department wrote: “Given the importance of multilateral diplomacy to our foreign policy objectives, the Department would welcome your comments on the objectives outlined in this message, i.e. which steps we might take to achieve them, and the particular circumstances you and your staff believe should be taken into account with respect to your own host government as the Department begins preparation of background and instruction cables.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770228–0399)↩
- The Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, adopted on May 1, 1974, at the Sixth Special Session of the UN General Assembly, aimed to redress the balance between developed and developing countries in trade, commodities, and development.↩