Algerian Islamists shun Washington’s self-interested hold-out hand

According to former Algerian intelligence officer and currently political analyst, Mohamed Chafik Mesbah, the US government has been striving through various channels to serve as a link between the senior Algerian military hierarchy and the Algerian Islamists but to no avail given the latter’s adamant refusal to deal with a foreign power.

Mr Mesbah indicated that the US government’ tactical move had been dictated by the fact that the Islamist parties in Algeria now represent an undeniable political force counting a large number of followers and sympathizers.

According to a leading member of the so-called “Green Algeria alliance” made up of the MSP movement, the Annahda and National Reform parties, Azzedine Djarrafa, the US attempted drive to bridge the gap between the Algerian Military and the Islamists out of self-interest was crowned with a dismal failure on account of the Algerians’ known aversion for any foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs.

He said that the Islamists in Algeria had as a principle not to be used as surrogates by any foreign country and cited the example of the nefarious after-effects of of chaos and instability spawned by the so-called Arab spring upheaval in several Arab countries.

He stressed that the Islamist movement did not want this bleak scenario to happen in Algeria itself.

The Algerian Islamists, who are seeking to forge a broad-based coalition, have now become wary of any foreign meddling in the country’s domestic affairs and prefer instead to bank on the popular masses to make them adhere to their society project with a view to reaching the highest spheres of the state through the ballot-box despite all the hurdles entailed, he explained.