Black List: Belkhadem Confronts Hillary Clinton Again, Washington Responds with More Promises

Once more, Algeria has received commitments from U.S. officials, notably Hillary Clinton, to consider the possibility of removing it from a list of 15 countries regarded as sources of terrorism and whose citizens will be subjected to rigorous searches upon entering U.S. territory.

Alongside his engagements at the U.S.-Islamic World summit held at Doha, Qatar, on February 13-15, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, minister of state and personal representative of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, reiterated to the U.S. Secretary of State Algeria’s official complaint regarding Washington’s decision to include it on its list of countries posing a threat to American security. Hillary Clinton has pledged to reconsider this decision, which Algeria has persistently challenged ever since it was made public.

An influential representative from the U.S. Congress present at Doha has promised to refer the issue to all American authorities concerned so that they contribute to its resolution.

Promises and promises again, but Algeria still does not see any concrete development coming its way. Indeed, since the elaboration of this black list a few days after the failed terrorist attack on the Amsterdam-Detroit airliner by Nigerian Abdulmuttalab on December 25, American officials have repeatedly offered assurances that they would examine Algeria’s request, to no avail. Algeria expects to be removed from the American and French watch lists, and insists that France and the United States “provide explanations,” declared Minister of Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci. Algeria deemed the United States’ decision to add it to the list of 14 countries whose citizens will be subjected to specific checks at U.S. airports “inappropriate,” and requested to be removed from this list. On a visit to Algiers on January 24, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria Janet Sanderson claimed that she was “aware” of the Algerian government’s concerns and would report them to her senior officials in Washington. These new measures are part of “an evolutionary process,” she added after talks with the Algerian foreign minister.

A few days later, it was the turn of Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, deputy coordinator of Programs and Policy in the Office of the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, also in Algeria, to say that the United States considers Algeria one of its “best partners” in the fight against terrorism, and that it benefits from Algeria’s experience in counter-terrorism. She emphasized the “excellent cooperative relationship in several fields” between the two countries, while noting that the Americans “understand the concerns and criticisms raised in Algeria, among both citizens and officials,” by the recent measures taken by Washington regarding the control of air transport. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley even expressed her regrets that this terrorist threat has caused such measures to be imposed on those countries concerned, among them Algeria.

Since then, Algeria has not seen progress in the matter, hence this call out to Hillary Clinton by Abdelaziz Belkhadem at Doha. It is important for Algeria to urge the Americans to take action quickly to resolve this incident, which taints the image of Algeria at a time when the terrorist threat has largely subsided in our country.