American Veto

We must believe that the United States maintains trusting relations with Algiers: The proof is in the lack of credit that they have attributed to the allegations of suspected Algerian mercenaries in Libya and to the military support of Colonel Gadhafi’s regime, cleverly disclosed by several well-known circles.

Algeria’s concern for the security of its borders and, by extension, all of the borders of the Sahel region is now shared by the U.S. military director of AFRICOM, who claims to support the initiatives undertaken in this vein by the concerned countries. He has declared that he is ready to provide his institution’s support in order to neutralize the Aqmi terrorists and the criminals who continue to ravage a region that has become difficult to control.

The initiatives, undertaken by the Sahelian countries — especially in recent months — and led by Algeria, have been encouraged by the Americans, who are planning to get involved via concrete assistance. The visit to Algeria undertaken by U.S. Army General Carter F. Ham, the commander of the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) attests to the importance that Washington accords to Algeria in its regional context.

We must believe that the United States maintains trusting relations with Algiers — the proof is in the lack of credit that they have given to the allegations of suspected Algerian mercenaries in Libya and to the military support of Colonel Gadhafi’s regime, cleverly disclosed by several well-known circles.

In fact, the U.S. military director [of AFRICOM] has dismissed these lies out of hand, declaring that he had not “seen anything official or reports that indicates [sic] that mercenaries were sent by Algeria in Libya.” He provided a scathing refutation of our country’s critics, adding that “It is in fact quite the opposite, considering that it is well-know that Algeria has always supported regional security and the fight against terrorism to avoid and prevent any mercenaries or any movement of people and arms in the region.”

Thus, everything indicated that the objectives are the same for both sides on the quasi-totality of the issues affecting them, although they may occasionally differ on the means to the end. But regular meetings and the greater frequency of exchanges between Algerian and American officials will undoubtedly contribute to the establishment of unwavering cooperation in all spheres.