Bouteflika, US general discuss joint counter-terrorism measures

2009-11-30

Washington hopes to boost security co-operation with Algeria in view of Algeria's lead role in fighting terrorism, according to US Africa Command head General William Ward.

By Walid Ramzi for Magharebia in Algiers – 30/11/09

[File] General William Ward, head of US Africa Command (left) is eager to work with Algeria on future counter-terrorism projects.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika met with the head of the US military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) on Wednesday (November 25th) to discuss increased co-operation on key matters, including counter-terrorism operations.

"I was very pleased to hear President Bouteflika's opinion on a number of important issues that are also critical for the United States," AFRICOM Commander General William Ward said after the meeting.

"I have come to listen to the concerns of political and military officials in Algeria, and to learn about their positions on the issues that are on the table," said Ward. "[W]e need to work together to confront the phenomena of extremism and violence."

The US official reiterated Washington's support for Algeria's anti-terrorism efforts, and told the press that Washington values Algeria's leading role in security issues, especially counter-terrorism.

Ward said he had not come to Algeria to ask it to host the AFRICOM headquarters, a matter that has been the subject of media speculation. Washington "hasn't made a request in this regard either to Algeria or to any other African state," he added.

The US official said he valued Algerian officials' positions on "developments in the continent's security situation and terrorist threats". The two sides discussed enhancing their security co-operation in the field of information-sharing through training.

Algeria's minister-delegate to the Defence Ministry, Abdelmalek Guenaizia, also met with Ward and his high-level military delegation, as did Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, Minister of African and Maghreb Affairs Abdelkader Messahel and senior officials of the Defence Ministry and the National People's Army.

The meetings came after a similar visit by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Africa Vicki Huddleston on October 19th.

Algeria's ambassador in Washington, Abdallah Baali, said in a November 9th press statement that "there are no differences between Algeria and the United States regarding AFRICOM," adding, "As far as combating terrorism is concerned, regional countries, foremost among them Algeria, have taken important steps to co-ordinate and intensify common action to confront terrorism. The US is attaching special importance to this issue and is actually supporting the efforts of Algeria and regional countries."

"As far as AFRICOM is concerned, an official from the Pentagon visited Algeria and held lengthy talks about this issue and about combating terrorism in Africa," the ambassador added. "The position that has been officially declared by the US is that AFRICOM has chosen the German city of Stuttgart as its permanent headquarters, and that it doesn't have any intentions to build military bases in Africa."

In the wake of Ward's visit, Algerian security affairs specialist Hocine Boulahia called Washington "keen on enhancing relations between the US Army and the Algerian Army in several fields based on common interests," adding that earlier in November, Algeria had "received a US medical team in the framework of the co-operation programme to help the military medical command in dealing with large-scale natural disasters".

"By virtue of its central and strategic location in the Maghreb, Algeria has now begun to emerge for Americans as the nucleus" for several US initiatives dealing with regional and multi-faceted co-operation, said Mohammed Saber, an Algerian professor of international affairs. Saber emphasised that this co-operation makes the countries' common interests more concrete in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.