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November 25,
2002
A friend
in Algeria
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
ALGIERS,
Algeria.
It may come as a
surprise to Americans that Algeria was among the first to step
forward after the September 11 tragedy to pledge support to the
United States in its fight against global terrorism, as this was not
reported in the American news media. It was not a surprise, however,
to most Algerians.
On that tragic
day, our sympathies immediately went out to the victims of the
terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania. We
know firsthand the horror of sustained terrorism, as we have
experienced it at the hands of radical Islamists for over a decade.
These ruthless killers, intent upon tearing apart the fabric of our
nation, waged war on our entire
population.
Fortunately, our
campaign against terrorism has reduced it to scattered pockets,
mostly in remote areas of Algeria (which is about three-and-a-half
times the size of Texas). The few remaining terrorists represent
only a tiny fraction of the strength that terrorist groups had at
the beginning of the 1990s.
This
September we again stepped forward, this time to help organize all
of Africa in a concerted effort to work toward ridding the world of
terrorists. On the first anniversary of the attacks on the United
States, the 49 member- states of the African Union met in Algiers
and decided to activate the Algiers Convention on the Prevention and
Combating of Terrorism which had been initiated in 1999 under my
chairmanship of the Organization of African Unity. The accord will
promote close continent-wide cooperation in an effort against
terrorism. The pact calls for the pooling of intelligence resources,
harmonizing of procedures and expanded technical cooperation to
ferret out terrorists before they can
strike.
In practical terms, it
will mean a well-coordinated effort between African states. Many
past efforts were fractionalized and ineffective. The pact also will
enhance the effectiveness of Africa's contribution to the
international effort to combat
terrorism.
Algeria appreciates
President Bush's remarks in support of the Algiers Convention to a
group of government ministers from African countries who met in
Washington a year ago. He said: "We are not immune from each other's
troubles. We share the same threats and we share the same goals to
forge a future of more openness, trade and freedom."
We are equally pleased that the
State Department's chief anti-terrorism officer recently
characterized Algeria's role in the global anti-terrorism campaign
as "magnificent."
Algeria's long
trial by terror has made it stronger because it forced us to deal
with and defeat this menace with no outside support. While we were
fighting for our lives, we also were working to protect the southern
flank of the Mediterranean from the spread of this evil to all the
area and beyond.
We are
eradicating terrorism, while at the same time moving forward toward
a genuine multiparty democracy. While this is a challenge, we do not
recoil from it. Our recent national and local elections are
milestones on the road to representative government for our nearly
33 million people. The success of the elections gives us confidence
we can reach our goal of making Algeria a model for expanded
democracy in our region.
Economically, Algeria's industrious people have achieved the
third-largest gross national product in Africa, even though seven
other African nations have larger populations.
Our democratic bonds with the
United States are strengthened by a growing trade
relationship.Algeria now accounts for 76 percent of U.S. trade with
the Maghreb, Africa's northern tier of nations, and we have become
the third-largest recipient of U.S. investments in the region.
With its renewed domestic
security, Algeria is investing heavily in the equipment and
technology needed to expand its petroleum capacity. We soon will be
producing the energy equivalent of five million barrels-per-day of
natural gas and oil. That makes us the largest African producer of
petroleum, and has the potential of providing the United States with
added energy security. Algeria is the world's third-largest exporter
of natural gas at a time when the United States faces a natural gas
shortfall in relation to demand.
As we move ahead economically, we are also implementing a series of
reforms in the civil service, the judiciary and our educational
systems — all within the framework of a competitive market economy.
Algeria has reached a point of no return in the reform process.
Politically, we have a number of active parties. Women increasingly
participate in the government, the parliament and the judiciary. The
private press is free to criticize government
actions.
We still have a long way
to go. We are both humbled by the task and determined to move ahead.
We are keen on sharing our unique experience with the nations of our
continent and with the United States. Together, we can begin to
build anew a world of peace and
prosperity.
Abdelaziz
Bouteflika is the president of Algeria.
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