European Union set to bolster counter-terrorism cooperation with Algeria

The European Union has called for an effective anti-terror alliance with Arab countries including Algeria to boost cooperation and information-sharing in the wake of a string of deadly attacks and arrests across Europe.

Foreign ministers meeting in the shadow of Paris’s attacks and a wave of arrests across Europe agreed on the need to work with Arab nations to counter the growing threat.

EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini said after the meeting in Brussels that “probably for the first time there was real deep awareness of the need to work together.”

“We are looking at specific projects to launch in the coming weeks with some specific countries to increase the level of co-operation on counter-terrorism, and I would name Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, and the Gulf and Sahel countries,” she said.

The bloc will post security attaches at its embassies in key Muslim nations to boost co-operation, while Arabic-language capacity would be developed.

“We need an alliance. We need to strengthen our way of cooperating together against terrorism and organized crime,” Mogherini said.

Some ministers emphasized the importance of working adequately and properly with Muslim countries, rather than blaming them for the problem of foreign extremist fighters.

Muslim nations “will continue to be in the front line, and we have to work closely with them to protect both those countries and the European Union countries,” British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.

Nabil Al-Arabi, the Arab League Secretary-General, said Monday that “every country in the world is suffering from terrorism.”

“It is not just a military or security issue, it covers the intellectual, cultural, media and religious spheres and that is what we are trying to get,” he said.

The EU meeting comes ahead of a special European summit on February 12 dedicated to fighting the scourge of terrorism.

Many of the ministers will meet again on Thursday in London when US Secretary of State John Kerry co-hosts talks with some 20 countries, including Arab states.