Gaid Salah: “Army will not interfere in the Presidential Elections”

Secretary General of the Workers’ Party, Louisa Hanoune, quoted the Deputy of the National Defense Minister, and Army Chief of Staff Maj. General Ahmad Gaid Salah, as saying that the military institution will not to interfere in the upcoming Presidential Elections, and that members of the National People’s Army will exert their electoral right as normal citizens, without any senior instructions.

Louisa Hanoune called for the need to protect the unit and cohesion of the military institution against every attempt which aimed to divide it and hit the stability of the country, and expose it to foreign intervention under the pretext of inability to combat terrorism.

According to the statement of the Labor Party, on Saturday, Louisa Hanoune met with Gaid Salah last Thursday, to discuss the public statements of Gen. Ammari ahead of the 2004 elections, and the concerns of the Workers’ Party leader, on the statement of the President, who is also the Minister of Defense and Commander of the Armed Forces, who denounced all prejudice to the unity of the National People’s Army, and ordered not to involve it in the Presidential Elections.

According to Louiza Hanoune, Gaid Saleh asserted the non-interference of the Military institution in political affairs, and insisted on the Republican and Popular nature, and historical ties with the nation, on the grounds that the National People’s Army is a descendant of the National Liberation Army, adding that he assured her that all the conditions are ready to ensure the security of the election’s date, and that elements of the army will exert their right to vote without any instructions.

With regard to the fight against terrorism, the statement of Louisa Hanoune contains confirmation by Gaid Salah about the readiness of the National People’s Army, humanly and technically, to defend the integrity of the country without any external interference, according to the Constitution.

Louiza Hanoune expressed fears of the dangerous regional situation and its repercussions on Algeria after the foreign military interventions, but Gaid Salah assured that the army would defend relentlessly the entire national territory and sovereignty of the country, and protect its borders without the involvement of any external conflict, and renewed the state’s refusal to establish any foreign military base on the national territory.

In another part, the statement said that Hanoune asked the deputy of the defense minister to protect the integrity of the military institution and its cohesion against every attempt to divide it and hit the stability of the country, and expose it to foreign intervention, under the pretext of its inability to fight against terrorism, especially with respect to Tiguentourine attack, Tibhirine Monks and the United Nations Headquarters Files, in time the National People’s Army of the Algerian state grabbed an international recognition for its ability and experience in the field of counter-terrorism, in an explicit reference of Hanoune to the accusations that were addressed by Saadani to the intelligence service, about failing to secure Algeria of these incidents.

Hanoune’s meeting with Gaid Saleh did not neglect the internal situation of the country and the relationship of the fabricated crisis in Ghardaia (southern Algeria), and its repercussion in the internal and external maneuvers which targeted the entity of the nation, and which requires the state to pay for all the care and treatment of the issue by the means that are required by the situation.

Hanoune opened the files of the social problems of pensioners members of the National Service, and victims of terrorism, and Gaid Salah confirmed that it is necessary to give them their rights, and announced that the Municipality Guards joined the People’s National Army, adding that they will enjoy the same rights that are enjoyed by the elements of the National People’s Army.

Away from Hanoune’s statement, observers are wondering about the reasons why the Department of Defense does not issue an official statement revealing the axes of the meeting of Gaid Salah with Louisa Hanoune, and allowing her to take over the task from one side, at least until Saturday evening?