Algérie Presse Service (APS) - October 3, 2012

LIMA, Peru - Council of the National President Abdelkader Bensalah reaffirmed today in Lima, Peru, Algeria's position of advocacy for a domestic dialogue free of any foreign interference and for the support of the international community in favor of the settlement of disputes currently involving some Arab countries.

In an address delivered before delegates attending the 3rd summit meeting of Heads of State and Government of South American and Arab countries (SAAC), Mr. Bensalah stressed that the meeting was being convened at a time when the Arab region was experiencing major upheavals with unexpected consequences giving rise to tragedies, dangers, and potential conflicts, while the initial objective (of the upheavals) was to achieve legitimate aspirations for democracy, well-being, and good governance.

Algeria has always argued in support of nations holding a domestic dialogue free from any foreign interference, while enjoying responsible support from the international community, declared the head of the Algerian delegation.

This support, Mr. Bensalah said, "is intended to seek political solutions to crises and to give hope to the peoples of the region," adding that he wishes full success to the mission being conducted by the special envoy of the Arab League and the United Nations to Syria, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi.

Addressing cooperation between the Arab countries and South America, Mr. Bensalah said the countries should take advantage of the resources and potentialities available to their two regional groupings to identify areas where they can complement one another.

Moreover, he said that the current difficulties preventing the world from recovering from the financial crisis that generated an asphyxiating economic crisis do not allow peoples to feel optimistic about their future.

Moving on to cultural relations between Arab and South American countries and the means to strengthen such ties, the president of the Council of the Nation said that, "Algeria grants great significance to cultural relations connecting the two sides because those ties foster closer relations between peoples," all the while expressing Algeria's pride in being selected as host of the first Arab-South American library.

He discussed as well the Palestinian issue and the efforts being deployed to resolve it, saying that achieving the national rights of the Palestinian people through the creation of an independent and sovereign state, with Jerusalem as its capital, as called for by pertinent UN resolutions "is now the common denominator between the two (Arab and South American) sides."

The head of the Algerian delegation to the summit meeting said that Israel's withdrawal from Syria's south and from the remaining parts of the Lebanese territory it still occupies is part of the comprehensive and lasting solution to the Middle East conflict.

The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, had designated the president of the Council of the Nation, Mr. Abdelkader Bensalah, to head the Algerian delegation taking part in the proceedings of the third summit meeting of heads of state and government of South America and the Arab world.