Algérie Presse Service (APS) – February 23, 2012

GUELMA – A U.S. trade delegation including seven wheat producers made a visit to Guelma “to exchange ideas and experiences with Algerian producers and seek opportunities for partnerships between professionals of the two countries.”

The U.S. wheat growers delegation, included in the U.S. Wheat association, was led by the association’s Egypt representative, Mr. Peter Lloyd Peter, and Ms. Mina El Hashemi, U.S. Wheat representative for North Africa.

The delegation held talks with representatives of the agro-industries Benamor Group, with is active in the El Fedjoudj Commune and heads “a network seeking to improve wheat quality.”

The Algerian side gave a presentation on the experience of the network, which was established during the 2010-2012 agricultural campaign to serve as “a forum for consideration” of a variety of technical issues facing producers.

The network includes Benamor Group, the Regional Cooperative for Cereals and Legumes, as well as several producers from the Wilayas of Sétif, Constantine, Annaba, Mila, and Guelma.

Mr. Laïd Benamor, president of the eponymous group and president of the wheat quality improvement network, declared that the meeting had helped to open discussions on “serious prospects for Algerian-American relations in the area of wheat production and marketing for the great benefit of such an important sector of food production in Algeria.”

For his part, Mr. Peter Lloyd indicated that U.S. Wheat “exports very little wheat to Algeria, contrary to other Arab countries such as Egypt.” He spoke of his “admiration” for the subsidies granted by the Algerian government to wheat producers.

It should be noted that last December, U.S. Ambassador to Algeria Henry Ensher had visited the agro-industries Benamor Group in the Fedjoudj Commune.
As Algeria gears up to hold parliamentary elections next May, all the while initiating more ambitious political reforms intended to complete erection of the democratic edifice which started over twenty years ago, the United States has hailed this policy and at the same time congratulated the Algerian government for its efforts towards that end.

Calling the reforms “very important,” Mrs. Clinton, who had already spoken on the matter on previous occasions, had then declared that the reforms were “totally in keeping with the objective of implementing greater democratization that the Algerian government has committed itself to.”

As Mrs. Clinton said, the United States “wants to see Algeria building a strong democratic base which reflects the aspirations of the Algerian people.”

At the bilateral level, counterterrorism is one of the pillars of partnership between Algeria and the United States who, on numerous occasions, has expressed its gratitude for the immeasurable efforts deployed by Algeria, whom the American side considers to be an indispensable partner in the fight against the scourge of terrorism, namely in the Sahel region.

Last February 21, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan Rice, paid tribute before the UN Security Council to “the significant efforts” deployed by the Sahel countries to combat organized crime.

According to Mrs. Rice, the Sahel region faces “a particularly insidious form” of international criminality, citing namely terrorism, drug- and arms-trafficking, “which threaten regional stability by exacerbating conflicts and undermining development.”

Algeria’s contribution to the global fight against terrorism has in fact been consecrated through its active participation in the launching, last September in New York, of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF), initiated by the United States and of which Algeria is a charter member.

With regards to counterterrorism, Algeria’s objective is to coordinate a partnership between the countries of the Sahel region and partner countries including the United States which would make it possible to combat terrorism under the best conditions with help from those partners in the areas of training, supply of equipments and exchange of intelligence.

In the economic area, the United States continues to be the first customer of Algeria who, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, is one of 20 countries enjoying a favorable balance of trade in their exchanges with the United States.

With $13.02 billion in trade surplus 2011, Algerian exports to the U.S. amounted to $14.61 billion against $1.59 billion in imports.

It should be noted that the last visit to Algeria by a head of American diplomacy dates back to September 2008, when Condoleezza Rice was U.S. Secretary of State, following the visit made in December 2003 by her predecessor U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.