U.S. eyes Algeria as key partner in war on terror

[Al-khiyal]

The Disneyfication of Algeria

[Al-khiyal]

When the Bush administration recently unveiled its new African military command — AFRICOM — Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Theresa Whelan said that the initiative was aimed at “promoting security, to build African capacity to build their own environments and not be subject to the instability that has toppled governments and caused so much pain on the continent.”

And yet hardly was the announcement made when the Bush administration organized the overthrow of the first stable government Somalia has had since 1991, stirring up a hornet’s nest of regional rivalries in the strategic Horn of Africa. U.S. Special Forces accompanied the Ethiopian Army when it stormed across the border in late December to support the besieged and isolated Transitional Federal Government. The United States also provided the Ethiopians with “up-to-date intelligence on the military positions of the Islamist fighters in Somalia,” Pentagon and counterterrorism officials told The New York Times.

The target of the invasion was the Islamic Courts Union, which over the past year had brought a modicum of peace to the warlord-riven country. Since the poorly armed ICU militias were routed, fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, sharply escalated. Nor have matters improved in recent months. “The situation here [Mogadishu] is out of control,” Ali Said Omar, chair of the Center for Peace and Democracy, told The Guardian in late February.

The ostensible reason for U.S. participation in the invasion was the ICU’s supposed association with al-Qaida, a charge that has never been substantiated. U.S. warplanes and ships shelled and rocketed parts of southern Somalia where, according to Oxfam and the United Nations Refugee Center, 70 civilians died and more than 100 were wounded.

Beyond the Horn

The White House’s plans for Africa, which reach far beyond the Horn, are part of a general militarization of U.S. foreign policy. A recent congressional report found that “some embassies have effectively become command posts, with military personnel in those countries all but supplanting the role of ambassadors in conducting American foreign policy.” The United States is already pouring $500 million into its Trans-Sahel Counterterrorism Initiative that embraces Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria in North Africa, and nations boarding the Sahara including Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Senegal. A major U.S. base in Djibouti houses some 1,800 troops and played an important role in the Somali invasion.

With Africa expected to provide a quarter of all U.S. oil imports by 2015, a major focus of AFRICOM will be the Gulf of Guinea. The gulf countries of Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola and the Congo Republic all possess enormous oil reserves. Some of them are plagued by exactly the kind of “instability” that AFRICOM was created to address.

Nigeria, for instance, is the world’s eighth largest oil exporter. “Though all the eyes of the public seem focused on the atomic ambitions of Iran, Nigeria is at the greatest risk of oil disruption today,” according to Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at ARC Financial Corporation. A year ago, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, shut down one-fifth of Nigeria’s oil production through a series of attacks on pumping stations and oilrigs.

General James L. Jones, North Atlantic Treaty Organization supreme commander, says the U.S.-dominated military alliance is “talking” about using its forces to protect oil tankers off the west coast of Africa and to provide security for “storage and production facilities in areas such as the oil-rich Niger Delta.” NATO is doing more than talking. In June of last year, NATO troops stormed ashore at Vila Dos Espargos on the Cape Verde Islands. The war game modeled intervening in a civil war over energy resources.

If NATO were to “provide security” in the strategic Niger Delta, it would find itself in the middle of an enormously complex political situation that pits local people fighting for a bigger slice of the resource pie against corrupt elites allied with transnational oil giants like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, France’s Total and Italy’s ENI.

A spokesman for MEND, Jomo Gbomo, charged that “oil is the key concern of the U.S. in establishing its African command,” and warned “we will fight everyone who goes on the side of the Nigerian government.” While the United States says its focus is on “terrorism,” Nicole Lee of TransAfrica responds that “This [AFRICOM] is nothing short of a sovereignty and resource grab.”

The Bush administration has long considered the control of resources like oil to be a strategic issue. In 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney’s National Energy Policy Development Group recommended that the administration “make energy security a priority of our trade and foreign policy,” a blueprint the White House has religiously followed. In 2002, the Administration also rolled out its “West Point Doctrine,” which in essence said that the United States would not permit the development of a major economic, political, or military competitor.

Both of these policies are increasingly running up against the new energy-hungry kids on the block, particularly China and India. China has been investing heavily into Africa. India, Malaysia and South Korea have also joined the oil rush, along with competing for copper from Zambia, platinum from Zimbabwe, timber from the Congo and iron ore from South Africa. In a strange reversal of the 19th century, former colonies are going head to head with their old masters in the race for raw materials.

Darfur and oil

The Sudan is one of those places where it seems easy to distinguish the good guys from the bad. But up close, things are considerably more complex. The tragedy unfolding in Darfur is fueled in part by competition between nomads and agriculturalists. But it is also a proxy war between Sudanese elites in Khartoum as well as an arena for regional competition among Sudan, Chad and Niger.

Lost in the media images of burned villages and destitute refugees is the issue of oil. The vast bulk of Sudan’s oil is in its south, where a long-running civil war is currently dormant. But in 2011 the south will hold a referendum to decide whether to remain part of Sudan or become independent. Will Western oil companies that pulled up stakes in the 1980s and decamped to Chad push southerners to vote for independence so they can move back in? Will Khartoum really accept a breakup of the country?

The bottom line is that Sudan, like Somalia, Nigeria and most African countries, is a complex place, where military solutions are likely to cause problems, not solve them. There is also fear, according to Nigerian journalist Dulue Mbachu, “that increased U.S. military presence in Africa may simply serve to protect unpopular regimes that are friendly to its interests, as was the case during the Cold War, while Africa slips further into poverty.”

Militarizing Africa

[Al-khiyal]

Dimanche 25 Mars 2007 -- L’entretien, vendredi dernier à Washington, entre le ministre d’Etat, ministre des Affaires étrangères, Mohammed Bedjaoui, et la secrétaire d’Etat américaine, Condoleezza Rice, a été qualifié de «constructif» par le chef de la diplomatie algérienne.

Abordant diverses questions bilatérales et internationales qui intéressent l’Algérie et les Etats-Unis, les échanges de vues «très intéressants et constructifs» -selon les propos du ministre algérien rapportés par l’APS- sont résumés dans cet entretien qui «a été d’une exceptionnelle chaleur» et qui a permis des discussions «très franches» sur l’ensemble des sujets de préoccupation commune.

«La rencontre que nous venons d’avoir s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’approfondissement du dialogue et de l’élargissement de la concertation entre nos deux pays. Elle reflète également notre intérêt partagé d’accroître les convergences de vues afin de renforcer les relations bilatérales et de leur donner de nouvelles perspectives», a souligné Mohammed Bedjaoui à l’issue de sa rencontre avec Condoleezza Rice. «Nos discussions traduisent également la volonté du président Abdelaziz Bouteflika et du président George W. Bush d’impulser les relations algéro-américaines en vue de l’établissement d’un partenariat solide et durable», a expliqué le ministre en qualifiant d’«excellentes» les relations entre Alger et Washington. Mohammed Bedjaoui fait remarquer également que la coopération multiforme a enregistré une évolution appréciable, ces dernières années.

Parmi les questions internationales abordées par les deux parties figurent notamment le dossier du Sahara occidental, la situation en Irak et dans les territoires palestiniens ainsi que le prochain sommet de la Ligue des Etats arabes qu’abritera mercredi et jeudi prochains la capitale saoudienne Riyad.

Dans le site Internet du département d’Etat, où s’est déroulé le tête-à-tête Rice-Bedjaoui, il est aussi fait état, outre le dossier Sahara occidental, d’un ordre du jour comprenant deux autres thèmes majeurs : la «lutte contre le terrorisme» ainsi que la «construction d’institutions démocratiques». A propos du dossier lié à la lutte du peuple sahraoui, le ministre souligne avoir réitéré la position algérienne relative au règlement du problème par la mise en œuvre des résolutions des Nations unies soutenant le principe d’autodétermination.

«Je crois savoir que les explications que j’ai fournies à ma collègue Condoleezza Rice ont été marquées par une réceptivité de sa part qui m’a laissé de bons espoirs», a répondu Bedjaoui à une question de l’APS portant sur la perception américaine du soutien algérien à la cause d’indépendance du Sahara occidental.

C’est justement sur ce même dossier qu’ont porté les rencontres, depuis le 19 mars à New York, du ministre avec de hauts responsables des Nations unies, dont le secrétaire général, Ban Ki-moon, le président en exercice du Conseil de sécurité, l’ambassadeur sud-africain, Dumisani Kumalo et les représentants des pays membres du Conseil, auprès desquels il a plaidé en faveur du principe de l’autodétermination. Le secrétaire général de l’ONU, le Sud-Coréen Ban Ki-moon, doit présenter le 20 avril prochain un rapport sur la question du Sahara occidental.

Il est à rappeler par ailleurs que le prochain sommet de la Ligue arabe sera consacré notamment à l’initiative de paix arabe (annoncée en 2002 à Beyrouth) à laquelle semblent adhérer les puissances occidentales, à commencer par les Etats-Unis. La chef de la diplomatie américaine s’est envolée vendredi, soit juste après son entretien avec son homologue algérien, vers Assouan (Egypte) pour une réunion multipartite sur cette question. Avant d’entamer sa nouvelle tournée au Proche-Orient, Condoleezza Rice a relevé que son espoir est de voir la Ligue arabe «relancer» cette initiative de paix arabe.

Enfin, il y a lieu de relever que Mohammed Bedjaoui a, au nom du président Bouteflika, invité Condoleezza Rice à effectuer une visite en Algérie «en vue de poursuivre les échanges fructueux» qu’entretiennent les deux pays. «La visite a été acceptée», a précisé le ministre.

«Je forme l’espoir que cette visite contribuera à renforcer encore plus les relations qui lient nos deux pays et à ouvrir la voie à un échange de visites officielles entre le président Abdelaziz Bouteflika et le président George W. Bush», a-t-il souligné. Les gouvernements des deux pays, a-t-il ajouté, sont convaincus que «la franchise est payante». Pour l’année 2006, le volume d’échanges entre les deux pays se situait autour de 15 milliards de dollars, faisant des Etats-Unis le premier client de l’Algérie.

«Constructif» entretien entre les chefs de diplomatie algérien et américain

[nesreen]

I hope and pray that algeria sticks to its decision not to allow the US bases, before they know it they ll be like saudi and kowait , the US will make the decisions for the Gulf sheikhs .

[Al-khiyal]

Algerian Foreign Minister Mohammed Bedjaoui held talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday (March 23rd) during a working visit to Washington. According to Algerian press reports, the discussions covered hydrocarbons, military co-operation, and the Western Sahara issue. Rice informed the chief of the Algerian diplomacy of her plans to visit Algeria soon for the continuation of America-Algerian political talks. Bedjaoui described the meeting as "constructive" and said it helped deepen the dialogue between the two countries in terms of bilateral relations and international issues of common interest. While in the US, Bedjaoui met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, South-African ambassador to the UN Dumisani Kumalo and representatives of the member states of the Security Council to discuss Algeria's stance on Western Sahara, prior to the Secretary General's report on the issue planned for April 20th.

Algeria's Bedjaoui meets with Condoleezza Rice

[Al-khiyal]

Libya imposes visa requirements on Algerians: Algeria find it “odd” and “unexpected”

Yesterday Colonel Muammar Kadhafi sent his Foreign Minister to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to contain the quiet crisis spawned by Tripoli’s decision to require visas from Arab nationals seeking to enter Libyan territory. The decision didn’t omit Maghreb states' nationals.

Kadhafi’s envoy also voiced Tripoli’s worries as to the Algerian greeting for the US project to set up a unified military command in Africa, in autumn 2008. Libyan Foreign Minister, Abderrahmane Chalgham, handed over a message to President Bouteflika during a meeting at the Presidency palace, yesterday.

The message included, a well-informed source says, “reassurances” that Algerian nationals are “not concerned by the visa requirement decision”. The Colonel’s message has been described by the same sources as “appeasement signals towards Algeria, similar to those addressed to Maghreb states just after the unheralded announce about the visa requirement”. The Libyan official told Bouteflika that bilateral relations, especially on the economic field, are to be stepped up and people's movement between both countries motivated.

In addition to the visa issue, Kadhafi’s envoy expressed Libya’s concerns about the Algerian position regarding the US Pentagon’s project to create a unified military command in Africa (Africom). Algeria had hailed the US plan. He also voiced Tripoli’s apprehension about Salafist Jihadist’s activities in the Maghreb and the sub-Saharan region, especially as the latter expressed allegiance to the al-Qaeda organization, renaming their group – which was called Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) - Al Qaeda organisation in Islamic Maghreb.

Kadhafi reassures Bouteflika: "Algerians not concerned by visa requirement"

[Al-khiyal]

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, is touring northern Africa on a trip for the House Intelligence Committee of which he is a member.

Rogers spokeswoman Sylvia Warner said he’s visited the countries of Algeria, Burkina Faso and Libya, and is traveling with intelligence officers.

The congressman has met with government officials in Algeria and Libya, Warner said.

Rogers has often praised the Libyan government for voluntarily abandoning its nuclear weapons program, citing the action as evidence of America’s progress in the war against terrorism...

Rogers touring northern Africa