Anouar Haddam announces creation of 'Freedom and Social Justice Movement'

[Al-khiyal]

Anouar Nassreddine Haddam, former leading member of the Islamic Salvation front (FIS, dissolved), living now in the United States has announced the creation of a new party called the “Freedom and Social Justice Movement”. He also invited President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to hold a gathering conference before his presidential mandate comes to an end.

In a message, a copy of which was obtained by El Khabar, Haddam described the new party as a “political work team”, to militate in Algeria, aiming at “stepping up and promoting national reconciliation to gather together the people and bury hates”. He insisted on the necessity to turn the corner and overcome the crisis. The initiative comes on the occasion of what the media call the “Movement of January 11, 1992”, a date when former President Chedli Bendjedid resigned following discord with top military officials after the Islamic Salvation Front won the first round of the Algerian National Assembly elections and the army intervened to cancel the second round of elections. Anouar Haddam said, describing his new party, ”We are political, reformist citizens… we consider Islam as a way of life… we are concerned by our country’s interests and future”.

In addition, the former FIS leading member invited President Bouteflika to an inclusive conference to come to reconciliation, a conference, he said, that would gather all national influential bodies and key figures, including political and Islamists figures that were against 11 January. He then called for such bodies and figures to step up efforts to come to mutual understanding in order to make a success of national reconciliation.

Freedom and Social Justice Movement created

[Al-khiyal]

Algiers, 12 Jan. (AKI) - The former leader of Algeria's outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) Anwar Haddam has announced he will form a new party to be called Movement for Freedom and Social Justice. In a statement published Friday by Algerian daily Al-Bayane, Haddam also announced his support for a government national reconciliation plan granting an amnesty to Islamist militants who give up armed guerrilla fighting.

"I think it is right to start a new chapter and leave what happened behind us," he said.

The surprising first round victory of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in December 1991 elections led the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of the vote to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from gaining power.

The government crackdown on FIS led to attacks by party militants against government targets. The government later allowed elections only with pro-government and moderate candidates, while Islamist militants intensified their attacks.

The fighting escalated into a civil war in the 1990s which led to an estimated 200,000 deaths. The government gained back control by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. The Salafite Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which has sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda, is the only militant group to have remained active in the country after it refused to abandon the armed struggle in exchange for an amnesty in August.

In his statement Friday Haddam said that the new party will not seek recognition from state authorities and will operate clandestinely to safeguard its members.

The party's first objective, he said, will be to ask president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to a national reconciliation conference.