Lakhdar Brahimi: “Chairman Of National Inclusive Conference To Be Chosen By Participants And Won’t Be Appointed”

“Algeria is at a dangerous turning point”, Lakhdar Brahimi said on Wednesday during an interview with the public television channel ENTV.

He also denied being the person appointed to chair the projected inclusive National Conference, announced by the Head of State as a solution to end the crisis, allowing the transition to a Second Republic, with the drafting of a new consensual Constitution.

“I have not been appointed as President of the Conference. I hope that the person who will be appointed will be much more competent and experienced than I am,” he said.

Evoking the large-scale popular demonstrations across the country against Bouteflika’s candidacy, the Algerian diplomat was pleased to see all these young people acting responsibly, recalling that “demonstrations do not solve problems, but they attract attention”.

Asked about the President’s health, Lakhdar Brahimi said, “I am not a doctor, but his voice is weak and his life functions are good. He is at 100% of his “mental capacities””.

For Mr. Brahimi, the President’s announcements meet “all the demands of the population”, adding that “the Algerian people first expressed themselves against the 5th mandate, and then the demands went up a notch, demanding the 2nd Republic and a radical change”.

The senior Algerian diplomat believes that “this first step must follow a right path. We must look for common denominators”, adding that “the national conference is necessary, but it must be a source of free-wheeling debate and spawn a very broad consensus”.

Referring to the subject of the 2nd Republic, Mr Lakhdar Brahimi said that “we must be cautious and draw on our previous experiences. We must all seize this opportunity to move towards the 2nd Republic in Algeria. He also thinks that the President would not want to participate in the construction of the 2nd Republic. It is devolved upon the new generation”, he added.