Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume XXIV, North Africa

71. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Algeria¹

215666.

Washington, July 10, 1986, 0238Z

Algiers for Ambassador Johnstone. Subject: Algeria-Libya. Ref: Algiers 3468.²

1. Secret—Entire text.

2. Gloomy analysis in reftel underscores our growing concern about Algerian-Libyan rapprochement. We endorse your proposal to raise this again with ranking GOA officials; we leave the choice and number of interlocutors, as well as the content of each approach, to you.

3. While making our position on Qadhafi clear, you should—at least at this stage in the internal Algerian debate on this subject—avoid conveying the impression that we now judge an Algerian-Libyan union to be an inevitability that would destroy the progress we have in our bilateral relations.³ From the Washington perspective, it would seem likely that an Algerian decision would be conditioned largely by regional considerations and that our ability to dissuade the GOA from such a course may thus be limited. Our objective should be to ensure that Algerian leaders understand and take into account our opposition to a union, while at the same time doing nothing to strengthen the hand of those elements who might seek to exploit for their own purposes the sensitivity of Algerians to perceived “threats”.

4. Similarly, we should be cautious about overstating a strong negative reaction to a possible Algerian-Libyan union in banking circles. Decisions in the banking community will continue to be based more on judgments about Algerian creditworthiness (reportedly still high) than on any chill in US-Algerian relations that would ensue.

5. Finally, on the Algerian reaction to Hassan’s visit (para 9 reftel), you should reiterate to your interlocutors that our Libya policy has been made clear repeatedly to virtually all governments with which we have relations. This includes close friends, as well as the Soviets and the Eastern bloc. We have made no secret of our disapproval of the Moroccan-Libyan union and will use the occasion of Hassan’s visit to underscore that concern.

Shultz

1. Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, 1986 Nodis Telegrams: Lot 95D23, Algiers 1986 Nodis. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Fisher; cleared by Zweifel, Andrew Steinfeld (P), Pascoe, Maura Harty (S/S–O), and Ussery; approved by Armacost. Sent for information Priority to Rabat and Tunis.
2. In telegram 3468 from Algiers, July 7, the Embassy reported: “There is a troubling drift in Algeria’s policy toward Libya. What started out as a tactical ploy by Algeria to ‘neutralize’ Qadhafi and sow distrust between Libya and Morocco is threatening to turn into a policy with a momentum and a constituency of its own.” (Ibid.)
3. In telegram 6999 from Tunis, July 16, the Embassy stated: “At this vantage point, Algero-Libyan union looks like something of a periodically resurfacing trial balloon born of latent conflict between Algiers FLN militants and their allies on one hand and military loyalists and their friends on the other. Key pre-condition to such union, i.e. radicalism ascendant in Algeria remains unmet.” The Embassy continued: “this said, any Algero-Libyan ‘union’ would seem bound to break Oudja alliance, unquestionably an important Algerian goal.” (Ibid.)