62. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Algeria.]
2. Algerian Foreign Minister: I met this morning with Algerian Foreign Minister Bouteflika.2 We discussed several subjects: the problems of Western Sahara; the release of French hostages held by the Polisario; the need to freeze oil prices in the upcoming OPEC meeting; Algeria’s participation in the International Fuel Cycle Study; the Middle East; and East/West relations, including progress in negotiations on the comprehensive test ban and SALT. I came down very hard on the need to freeze oil prices and asked Algeria’s cooperation. He listened attentively, asked questions about our discussions with other members of OPEC, and said that he would take our concerns and requests under consideration.3
I also urged Algerian support at the upcoming Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting for the early convening of the Geneva Conference. He told me that the Algerians supported completely our joint statement with the Soviet Union concerning the Middle East4 and would act accordingly at the Foreign Ministers meeting. He said they were pleased with the position we had taken on the Middle East problem. He specifically said that they would use their best efforts with the Syrians.
On the regional problems, I urged restraint and a peaceful solution of the differences between Algeria and Morocco. He said that we could rest assured that they would take no aggressive action and wanted a peaceful political solution. He asked that we help in the solution of the problem and pointed out that we would be receiving heads of both states within the next six months in Washington. I responded that, as he knew, we believed that the problem should be solved if possible by the OAU but that I took note of his suggestion that both heads of government would be meeting with you in the next six months.
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Algeria.]
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 19, Evening Reports (State): 11/77. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum and wrote “Cy” in the upper right-hand corner.↩
- See Document 217.↩
- Carter wrote in the left-hand margin: “Haven for hijackers.”↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. VIII, Arab-Israeli Dispute, January 1977–August 1978, Document 120.↩