Brussels, 04/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - Algeria has responded officially and with annoyance at the European Parliament's adoption of a resolution on Thursday 30 April that speaks of “the imprisonment of workers and human rights activists”. The resolution evokes the arrests of human rights campaigners and union activists since January. The Parliament “calls on” the European Commission and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, as well as on the member states, “to set up clear benchmarks and indicators to monitor the EU objectives and assess progress in the field of human rights, impunity, freedoms of association, assembly and expression, rule of law, and the situation of human rights defenders in Algeria”.
In a formal statement, the spokesperson for Algeria's foreign minister rejects this “action initiated by a small group known for contributing to media agitation in order to serve shameful purposes that run counter to the resolve clearly stated by Algeria and the EU to move forwards”. In Algiers' view, these “35 out of 751” MEPs used “procedural cheating” - “an emergency procedure” - to have a text adopted that is deemed to run counter to the EU's interest in cooperating with Algeria (a country that provides oil and gas, and that supplies its potentially large market). This is “really out of kilter” with this interest, the Algerian spokesperson says. The spokesperson's statement clearly takes the form of a warning: “The fact chosen as a pretext by the authors of this resolution provides information both about their doggedness in wanting to harm the calm atmosphere that characterises the dialogue” between Algeria and the EU, and about “the limits of their vision as regards the very interests of the EU”.
Finally conciliatory, the Algerian spokesperson states that these “vain attempts of a few detractors, who mistake the time and the enemy, can in no way change, and still less challenge, the resolute march of Algeria and the EU towards consolidating the mutually beneficial partnership for which the association agreement provides”.
European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete is expected in Algeria on Tuesday 5 May to launch a high level energy dialogue with this country. His visit is likely to be affected by this frostiness between Brussels and Algeria, the Algerian media state. (Fathi B'Chir)