News from Algeria 2009

[Al-khiyal]

Women stalked in Troon after night out

November 19, 2009 -- Three women were stalked by a French Algerian pervert separately on their way home from a Troon nightclub. Maurin Taleb groped a 25-year-old and asked a 45-year-old mum if she was into bondage. He then followed his third terrified victim all the way home, before fleeing when the 33-year-old woman screamed for her husband. And when Taleb was interviewed by police, the sleazy 28-year-old even claimed that he was regularly fondled by women in nightclubs who were attracted by his accent. Deputy fiscal Victoria Hart told Ayr Sheriff court that the 45-year-old woman left Pebbles nightclub in Troon at 2.30am on November 3 when she became aware of Taleb walking "directly behind her." He then tried to speak to her and asked 'Do you like bondage?'

[Al-khiyal]

Football match strains Algerian-Egyptian relations

Cairo, November 19, 2009 -- Egypt on Thursday said it would summon the Algerian ambassador in Cairo to protest attacks against Egyptian fans after Wednesday night's World Cup playoff in Sudan. 'The ambassador will receive a strong message about securing the Egyptian presence in Algeria, whether for citizens or companies, and that this is the responsibility of the Algerian government alone,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in remarks run by Egypt's official MENA news agency.

Egyptian lawmakers called for suspending ties with Algeria. Independent lawmaker Gamal Zahran, who attended the match in Sudan, said Thursday that summoning Algeria's ambassador was not a sufficient response, and called on the government to sever ties with Algeria. Ragab Hilal Hamida, another lawmaker, said he presented an urgent petition to the parliament calling on the government to deal with the dispute through its ambassador to the United Nations. The parliamentary protests followed street protests the night before.

After Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 in Sudan, witnesses in Khartoum told the German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur by phone that they had seen six buses full of Egyptian fans on their way to the airport with their windows smashed. In the hours before dawn on Thursday, a group of about 50 angry young men gathered on the streets of Cairo and tried to attack the Algerian Embassy and the local offices of Algeria's national airline, but were driven back by Egyptian police in armored cars, witness Mahmoud Salem, 28, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. He said they were responding to rumours that Algerian fans were 'tearing Egyptian fans to pieces' in Khartoum.

Soon after Wednesday night's match, one frantic Egyptian fan after another called a live broadcast of the popular TV talk-show Al-Qahira al-Youm and screamed that there was 'a disaster' on the streets of Khartoum. They screamed and pleaded for help, saying the Algerian fans had overpowered Sudanese security. 'They were throwing stones and knives at us while we were inside the bus. There is no security at all! Where are the Egyptian authorities?' Egyptian singer Haitham Shakir screamed in a live telephone interview with host Amr Adib. 'Sudanese security ran away,' Shakir said. 'Now we are around 130 Egyptians hiding in a Sudanese man's house.' Other celebrities called with similar stories. 'Stay inside!' Adib screamed in response, visibly upset. 'Don't go into the streets! Hide in any house until morning!'

The sporting competition has strained relations between the two North African countries for weeks. Cairo police said that 20 Algerian fans were injured in clashes after Egypt beat Algeria 2-0 in Cairo to stay alive to go to Wednesday's playoff. The following day, fans in Algeria burned and looted the compound of Egypt's Orascom Telecom company in Algeria. Naguib Sawiris, Orascom's chairman, said and that he was evacuating the company's Egyptian staff and their families from Algiers.

The qualifier was decided Wednesday night, but the rancor between Egyptian and Algerian fans has shown little sign of dissipating. On the social networking site Facebook, Egyptian fans started a group to call for Algeria's ejection from FIFA. 'Threats, attempted murder, horror on the streets of Sudan ... this is absolutely barbarian behaviour, and is not fitting for one of the world's champions,' the group's creators proclaimed. Another online group called for attacking Algeria's embassy in Cairo. 'In my name and in the name of 80 million Egyptians and 20,0000 Egyptians in Sudan, I'm calling for a national vendetta,' the group's creators wrote. 'Let's teach them a lesson in front of the Embassy. This is a war, people, so get ready.'

Others sought to heal the divisions between Egyptians and Algerians after the match, calling for 'mutual respect.' 'We totally reject what some people reported about this fake battle, and we reject those who benefit from it, be they politicians or media representatives,' wrote the creators of one online group dedicated to patching up Algerian-Egyptian relations.

[Al-khiyal]

Egypt recalls Algerian envoy as football row deepens

November 19, 2009 -- The Egyptian government has recalled its ambassador to Algeria following complaints about violence toward football fans, reports say. The move comes hours after Algeria's ambassador in Cairo was summoned to the Egyptian foreign ministry. The Algerian football team beat Egypt in a decisive qualifying match in Sudan on Wednesday, taking the final African spot in the World Cup finals next year. The Egyptian government alleges its citizens were attacked after the match. Egypt has recalled their ambassador for "consultations", the official state-run Middle East News Agency said.

The teams needed the play-off in a neutral country to decide on qualification after the final group match between them on Saturday saw Egypt win 2-0, meaning the two teams finished tied at the top of the group with equal points and identical goal difference. Before the match in Cairo, three Algerian players were injured by rocks thrown at their bus as they arrived. Violence between Egypt and Algeria fans flared up across four countries. Following violence against Algerians in Cairo earlier this month, Egyptian businesses in Algiers were ransacked.

The Egyptian government called in the Algerian ambassador following reports of violence by Algerian supporters against Egyptian fans who travelled to the play-off in the Sudanese city of Khartoum, according to local media. An Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said the Algerian government also had a responsibility for the safety of Egyptians living in Algeria. After the Cairo qualifier, which Egypt won 2-0 bringing the group to a deadlock, there were riots between supporters in the city. A total of 32 fans were injured and the head of the Algerian Football Federation blamed his Egyptian counterpart for whipping up the tension.

In Algiers, Egyptian businesses were ransacked. Even in France, problems were reported between the country's Egyptian and Algerian communities. Six boats were torched in Marseilles by Algerian fans and 500 police were deployed to quell clashes in the city. Before the match in Sudan, Egyptian press commentators had called for Egypt to "reconsider" diplomatic relations with Algeria.

[Al-khiyal]

"Arctic Sea" finally reaches destination in Algeria

Moscow, November 19, 2009 -- The 'Arctic Sea', the Finnish-owned, Maltese- registered ship believed to have been captured by pirates in early August has reached its destination in Algeria, Interfax news agency reported Thursday. The ship was due to deliver its load of wood worth millions of dollars in early August, but went missing and was only recovered in mid-August off Cape Verde by the Russian navy, which said it had freed it from pirates. Governments and spy agencies of around 20 countries were involved in investigating the incident. Reports said the 'Arctic Sea' might have been carrying radioactive material or weapons, possibly smuggling them to Iran. Both Russia and the ship owners denied the reports, saying it was only carrying timber. The freighter was returned to its owners in Malta in late October. The Malta Maritime Authority said then that inspectors had not found dangerous cargo on board the ship after checking it for several hours. The eight men charged as pirates, most Estonian, are awaiting trial in Moscow. The 15 Russian crew members, who claimed they were tied up and tortured, have returned to their families.

[Al-khiyal]

Egypt recalls Algerian envoy as football row deepens

L'Egypte rappelle son ambassadeur en Algérie

Jeudi 19 Novembre 2009 -- L'Egypte a rappelé jeudi son ambassadeur à Alger pour consultation, suite à "l'agression" par des Algériens de ses supporters au Soudan. Un peu plus tôt dans la journée, des médias égyptiens avaient rapporté des témoignages de supporters de retour au Caire qui déclaraient avoir été attaqués et blessés par des Algériens mercredi soir, à l'issue du match entre les deux pays, comptant pour la qualification au Mondial 2010. Après ces déclarations, l'Egypte avait convoqué l'ambassadeur d'Algérie dans le pays, Abdelkader Hadjar, pour protester et lui demander qu'Alger assure la protection de ces concitoyens expatriés en Algérie.

De son côté, le Soudan a convoqué ce jeudi l'ambassadeur Egyptien à Khartoum pour protester contre ces informations véhiculées par les médias égyptiens, et faisant été de blessés parmi les supporters, et ignorant, selon Khartoum, l'accueil chaleureux qui leur a été fait dans la capitale à l'occasion du match contre l'Algérie. Pour l'instant, l'Algérie, qui accueille ses joueurs triomphants de retour du Soudan n'a fait aucun commentaire.

[Al-khiyal]

Algérie - Egypte :
Une relation inutile et encombrante pour Alger

Jeudi 19 Novembre 2009 -- L’Egypte a décidé, jeudi 19 novembre, de rappeler son ambassadeur à Alger pour consultations. Le Caire entend protester contre « l’agression » par des Algériens de supporters Egyptiens au…Soudan. Cette situation constitue un cas inédit dans les relations diplomatiques entre deux pays. Imaginez en effet l’Algérie qui décide de rappeler son ambassadeur en Allemagne après une bagarre entre des Algériens et des Allemands à Paris. En quoi en effet l’Algérie peut-elle être responsable, directement ou indirectement, des rares incidents qui se sont produits à Khartoum entre supporters des deux équipes ?Mercredi, un seul pays avait cette responsabilité. Il s’appelle le Soudan. Et en dépit du mandat d’arrêt lancé contre son président par les Occidentaux, soutenus justement par l’Egypte de Moubarak, ce pays reste souverain.L’initiative égyptienne de rappeler son ambassadeur à Alger au lieu de Khartoum est un mélange de mauvaise foi et de mépris pour le voisin soudanais.

Sur le fond, les Egyptiens sont mal placés pour parler d’agression de leurs supporters par des Algériens. Comme le montre la décision de la FIFA d’ouvrir une procédure disciplinaire contre la Fédération égyptienne de football (FEF), c’est au Caire que les violences ont commencé. Ce sont les Egyptiens qui, les premiers, ont agressé nos joueurs et nos supporters. Au Caire, ils ont lynché les Algériens et blessé nos joueurs. Mais le gouvernement algérien, sans doute soucieux de ne pas provoquer une crise diplomatique à cause d’un match de football, a préféré se contenter du minimum : convoquer l’ambassadeur d’Egypte à Alger.

Enfin, les Egyptiens ne semblent pas avoir compris qu’ils ont beaucoup plus à perdre dans une dégradation des relations avec Alger que nous. L’Algérie ne possède aucun intérêt économique dans ce pays. En revanche, les intérêts égyptiens en Algérie sont beaucoup plus nombreux et nettement plus importants. Un seul exemple : Orascom Telecom prospère grâce à sa filiale algérienne Djezzy qui lui fournit 98% de son cash annuel. Enfin, sur le plan régional et international, l’Egypte a toujours fait de l’ombre à l’Algérie. Alger, par calcul, a souvent éviter d’affronter cet allié des Etats-Unis, aussi bien au sein de la Ligue arabe ou dans d’autres organisations – la dernière élection du président de l’Unesco en est l’illustration - au point où le président Moubarak s’est même vu attribué en 2007 le poste de vice-président de l’Union pour la Méditerranée par Nicolas Sarkozy. Cette crise va peut-être enfin libérer la diplomatie algérienne du complexe égyptien.

[Al-khiyal]

Nouvelle escalade dans les attaques égyptiennes contre l’Algérie

Jeudi 19 Novembre 2009 -- L’Egypte officielle multiplie ses attaques contre l’Algérie. La chaîne publique égyptienne ESC a proféré, jeudi 19 novembre, des insultes inacceptables à l’encontre des Algériens qu’elle a traités « de terroristes, de fous, de nains », au cours d’une émission spécialement programmée pour insulter les Algériens. Les deux animateurs de l’émission « Bait baitek » ont appelé au meurtre contre les Algériens vivant en Egypte. «L’Egypte a été agressée par l’Algérie. Nous sommes en guerre et nous allons réagir par tous les moyens», ont ajouté les deux animateurs. Ils sont allés jusqu’à demander des excuses officielles de la part du président Bouteflika. « On n’acceptera que les excuses de Bouteflika », a dit l’un des animateurs. Hallucinant ! Les Egyptiens sont amnésiques. Ils ont agressé l’équipe nationale à deux reprises, jeudi et samedi derniers au Caire, provoquant l’indignation du monde entier. Les Egyptiens ont agressé également les supporters algériens partis au Caire pour encourager les Verts, victimes d’un véritable guet-apens. La chaîne égyptienne a montré des images de manifestants égyptiens devant l’ambassade d’Algérie au Caire. L’un des deux animateurs de la chaîne publique égyptienne s’est adressé directement aux Algériens en lui traitant de tous les noms et en exigeant de Bouteflika de s’excuser personnellement sur les agressions dont ont été victimes les supporters égyptiens à Khartoum. Les deux animateurs ont appelé les groupes égyptiens notamment Orascom et Arab Contractors à quitter l’Algérie. « Orasom est allé investir en Algérie pendant le terrorisme. « Orascom a investi en Algérie alors que ce pays était à feu et à sang », ont-ils fait remarquer. Le Caire a rappelé jeudi son ambassadeur au Caire pour consultations. Après avoir attisé la haine à la veille du match de samedi dernier au Caire, les Egyptiens poursuivent leurs attaques contre les Algériens. L’Algérie n’a pas encore réagi aux nouvelles attaques égyptiennes.