Excerpt from document
(S/NF) SUMMARY: Ambassador Pearce chaired an EAC meeting
on January 31 to review the fallout from the ABC news story
related to a former Embassy officer who allegedly drugged and
raped two Algerian nationals (reftels). Because of the
Algerian weekend, the story did not break in the local press
until January 31, at which point it was the leading
front-page story in most daily papers (ref A).

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RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO PRIORITY 0850
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT PRIORITY 6642
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY PRIORITY 1831
RUEHMRE/AMCONSUL MARSEILLE PRIORITY 1713
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Content
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 000115

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA, NEA/EX AND NEA/MAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2019
TAGS: PREL, PINR, KPAO, MARR, ASEC, AMGT, KMSG, AG
SUBJECT: ALGIERS SCANDAL UPDATE: REACTIONS CALM AS EAC MEETS

REF: A. ALGIERS 113
B. ALGIERS 107
C. ALGIERS 106

ALGIERS 00000115 001.2 OF 002

Classified By: Ambassador David D. Pearce, for reasons 1.4 (b), (d) and
(g).

1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Ambassador Pearce chaired an EAC meeting
on January 31 to review the fallout from the ABC news story
related to a former Embassy officer who allegedly drugged and
raped two Algerian nationals (reftels). Because of the
Algerian weekend, the story did not break in the local press
until January 31, at which point it was the leading
front-page story in most daily papers (ref A). GOA reactions
have been restrained, with most contacts telling us this
would not have a significant impact on the bilateral
relationship. The Ambassador provided the EAC with cleared
guidance and instructed it be disseminated to all staff. The
RSO reported no threat information, but the EAC agreed
American staff should limit their movements to essential life
and work needs for 48 hours to allow time to assess any
public backlash. Ambassador also met with the FSN Committee
to provide guidance and to solicit employees' views regarding
public reaction. One female FSN expressed personal
discomfort dealing with questions expected from family
regarding propriety in the Embassy workplace. By Sunday,
February 1, the story had all but disappeared from the press,
and although comments continued on Algerian web sites, we
continued to detect no immediate public or government
backlash. The almost complete absence of the story in
government press outlets indicates the government prefers to
see the story die down. END SUMMARY.

GOA DOWNPLAYS IT
----------------

2. (S/NF) Because the Algerian weekend fell on Thursday and
Friday and Algerian newspapers do not publish on Fridays,
most of the Algerian public first learned of the alleged
assaults (reftels) in the press of Saturday morning, January
31. The Ambassador called an EAC to review the situation and
threat levels. Nearly all newspapers, except government
journals, carried the story on their front pages (ref A).
The EAC agreed, however, that the information found in these
news reports was largely factual, essentially retelling
details from the ABC news report and court affidavit released
on January 28. Surprisingly, press coverage died down
dramatically on February 1, and has been almost completely
absent from government-controlled media outlets. Most of the
second-day coverage focused on comments made by Interior
Minister Nourreddine Yazid Zerhouni, who essentially admitted
publicly that the CIA had worked with Algerian intelligence
on counter-terrorism issues. Zerhouni said the case would be
handled completely in the United States because neither woman
had filed a complaint in Algeria and both reside in Europe.
Zerhouni added that the accused officer had been covered by
diplomatic immunity at the time of the alleged acts.

3. (S/NF) The EAC noted that the initial GOA response, in
Washington and Algiers (refs B and C), had been restrained.
The Ambassador was able to inform the GOA of the ABC News
piece during a previously scheduled meeting on the morning of
January 29 with Minister-Delegate of National Defense
Abdelmalek Guenaizia and one of his top generals, Major
General Ahmed Senhadji. The Ambassador had also called MFA
Director General for the Americas Fatiha Selmane later that
morning. These officials said they appreciated being
informed personally and in advance of the Algerian press.
Algerian Ambassador to Washington Abdellah Baali made
positive public statements to the U.S. press indicating that
while the alleged incidents were unfortunate, he trusted that
the American justice system would handle the matter
appropriately and according to the rule of law, and that the
situation would not damage bilateral relations. Baali's
comments were widely reported in the January 31 Algerian
press, which helped frame the official Algerian message of
playing down the scandal in favor of the positive larger
bilateral relationship. MFA's protocol office called us on
January 31, seeking the identities of the two alleged
victims, but our Management Officer used Department guidance
to politely deflect the query.

EAC RESPONSE
------------

ALGIERS 00000115 002.2 OF 002

4. (S/NF) RSO reported no threat information and no expected
public reaction from meetings with local police on January 31
and February 1. No other threats were reported in relation
to the story. We received no press or public inquiries on
January 31 and only two on February 1, and no staff reported
any particularly negative reaction from contacts, family or
the public, only curiosity about some details of the reports.
The EAC recommended nonetheless that American employees
should maintain a low profile and refrain from non-essential
movements in the city for an initial period of 48 hours. RSO
advised that SMS alerts and the cascade notification system
would be used to share news with the Embassy community as
appropriate and needed. Both systems were employed on
January 29 to inform staff to keep a low profile in the
initial hours after the story broke in the United States.
RSO also reminded EAC that personal security is the
responsibility of the employee. RSO will continue monitoring
threat information and public reaction in conjunction with
other Embassy sections. The EAC agreed, under advice from
the Embassy Consul, that a warden message would not be
appropriate because no new threat information had been
received, and that the existing travel warning remained
sufficient. Intra-country travel scheduled for the coming
week would be reviewed by the RSO and Front Office. No
immediate TDY or other visits had been scheduled within five
days, so action was deferred on inbound travel
recommendations.

5. (S/NF) The Ambassador provided cleared guidance to EAC
members, for use with the press and Algerian government
officials. He requested that all personnel closely adhere to
the guidance and that employees take care not to allow
themselves to be drawn into any discussions or speculation
about the CIA. He also noted that, while we were restricted
in terms of what we could say about this specific case, we
should make no apologies for the fact that we have a strong,
ongoing bilateral security relationship with Algeria. This
security cooperation made both countries safer. The
Ambassador also met with the FSN Committee on January 31, to
provide the same cleared guidance and listen to employee
reactions and concerns. Most of our local staff thought the
story would pass relatively quickly but the focus would shift
from the reported incidents to questions of the CIA presence
in Algeria. One female local employee confided to the
Ambassador her concern that female FSNs might face difficult
questions from family members and friends about the Embassy
work environment.

6. (U) POC for this EAC Report is DRSO Miguel A. Eversley.
PEARCE