El Moudjahid – May 8, 2011

The United States Senate has hailed the reforms being undertaken in Algeria and the “remarkable” level of cooperation achieved by the Algerian-American partnership in the fight against terrorism.

Presiding the nomination hearing by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations of Mr. Henry S. Ensher to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Senator Robert Casey declared that “the decision by Algeria to lift the state of emergency is a positive step” in the reform process already underway. Senator Casey added that “the protest movement in Algeria was more limited compared to those in other countries in the region” of the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) and underlined that the protesters’ demands “are more economic and social than political”.

Morever, the chairman of the Senate Committee on foreign Relations stressed that Algeria is “an important strategic” partner of the United States in the fight against Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI). In that respect, he hailed the “active leadership role” played by the Algerian Government in the efforts led by the African Union to combat terrorism. Senator Casey added that the Algerian-American counterterrorism contact group “is going to contribute to the expansion of the existing cooperation between the United States and Algeria to ensure greater security, peace, and development in the region.”

For his part, Ambassador-Designate Henry S. Ensher indicated that “the relationship between the United States and Algeria has never been stronger” and that Algeria is “an important supplier of energy to both the United States and Europe.” Algeria, added Mr. Ensher, “also plays a critical role on the front lines countering violent extremism and knows firsthand how important it is to maintain constant vigilance against those who wish to do us harm.”
Expanding on counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries, the next U.S. Ambassador to Algeria said that “President Bouteflika was the first Arab leader to call President Bush following the attacks on 9/11, which reflected our shared view of the dangers posed by terrorism and led to even greater cooperation.” President Bouteflika, noted Mr. Ensher, “has recently announced important reforms of the Algerian system” and added that the Algerian Government “has put in place a better capacity to defend efficiently the rights of civil society which exist by virtue of the Algerian constitution.”

At the international level, the next U.S. ambassador said that “Algeria has long had a significant role in Middle Eastern and African affairs. It is a key player in conflict resolution through the wider region” and added that Algeria’s “mediating role in conflicts in the Sahel will remain vital to finding peaceful solutions there.” Furthermore, Algeria “is a leading member state of the Arab League, the African Union, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference,” indicated Mr. Ensher.

Replying to a question posed to him by Republican Senator James Risch regarding the way demonstrations in Algiers could develop and regarding political prospects in Algeria, Mr. Enscher the members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that demonstrations “have more to do with economic, social and political aspirations in a framework that does not demand that a particular official leave power. This is an enormous difference compared to other demonstrations in the region” of the Middle East and North Africa. In that respect, Mr. Enscher said the Algerian government “is trying to responds to the demands of the population for greater opening, greater freedom of the press, and greater access to the management of the country’s affairs.” In addition to lifting the state of emergency, the Algerian government “has promised that the necessary legislation to reach all objective needs to be ready by the fall of this year,” said Mr. Enscher. So, “there is good progress in the approach” to reforms in Algeria, he added.

As to the risk of the situation evolving toward a loss of control of the security situation as has happened in other countries in the region, Mr. Enscher dismissed that eventuality, saying “frankly, I do not expect such a thing to happen” in Algeria.

In fact, he said, “Algeria has a lot of resources that it can use. There are long standing demands, there is a tradition of democratic practices, and there is a sentiment that democracy is already the path to follow. And therefore, I am really optimistic about the future of Algeria.”