Lamamra: “Absence of ANP Chief of staff at Cairo meetings doesn’t mean a shift in Algeria’s position”

Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation, Ramtane Lamamra, has denied that Algeria has expressed reservations about the projected setting up of a common Arab military force as proposed by Egypt, following the absence of People’s National Army Chief of staff Lieutenant-General Ahmed Gaid Saleh at the recent Cairo meetings which brought together Arab military chiefs for the second time in a row.

Mr Lamamra said on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IOC) held recently in Kuwait that “it is not true to say that Algeria expressed reservations on the proposal to form a common Arab military force in  the troubled Middle-east region as Algeria had clearly backed this very proposal at the latest the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit.

He told a Kuwaiti media outlet outside the IOC get-together that Algeria was not represented at the Cairo meetings at the level of the Army chiefs of staff but our country was led by an important delegation whose members highly contributed to the success of the meetings.

Mr Lamamra also indicated that that Algeria had no reservations in the first place over the decision to form a joint Arab force, but the relevant resolution was adopted at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit late March, after being enriched by a set of Algerian amendments which then contributed to making the idea feasible and achievable, thus becoming an added value to the salutary joint Arab action.