Mr. Attaf: “Algeria Will Follow Up On The Ceasefire In The Gaza Strip”

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), chaired by Algeria, opened Monday an open debate at ministerial level on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.

The session was chaired by Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Attaf, on behalf of President of the Republic Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

In a related context, Mr. Attaf  affirmed in an interview with Algerian international channel “Algeria 24 News” that Algeria, as president of the UN Security Council, will take it upon itself to follow up on the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, considering it a step in a broader and more comprehensive framework to achieve a permanent and final solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with international legitimacy, stressing that “Algeria will follow up on its implementation and evaluate it in the interim as well as intervene to remove obstacles and violations if they arise in its implementation.”

Mr. Attaf  further underlined that this agreement includes three phases, “the first of which is the ceasefire, the start of relief for our people in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of major urban complexes from the occupation army.”

The second phase is “related to the process of expanding the exchange of prisoners and detainees, which was initiated by the occupation in the first phase, in addition to intensifying the relief operation in Gaza, while the third and final phase will be dedicated to the political, administrative and security arrangements for Gaza in the so-called next day.”

Regarding Algeria’s position on this agreement, the Minister of State underscored that “Algeria is full of cautious hope and vigilant optimism, because this agreement is very delicate and precise and must be sponsored by the international community.” “What we, as Algerians, expect from the Security Council is the approval, adoption and validation of this agreement and the expansion of international support for it.”

Mr. Attaf emphasized that this agreement is “the result of the work of a small group of international actors, and the international community must now rally around it to give it real weight and influence.”

He added that this agreement is “a step in a broader and comprehensive framework to seek a final and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue,” stressing that “this can only be achieved in accordance with international legitimacy and its first pillar, which is the two-state solution.”

In response to a question about the withdrawal of Algerian delegations from various international meetings where representatives of the Zionist entity are present and how Algeria will deal with this issue, especially with its presidency of the UN Security Council, Mr. Attaf asserted that “Algeria was in the Security Council in the 1960s, in the 1980s, at the beginning of the millennium and today it is in the Security Council, and therefore we have traditions and customs in dealing with the presidency of the Security Council.”

“The presidency of the Security Council is a responsibility that imposes burdens on those who bear this responsibility,” Mr. Attaf stressed: “It is true that Algeria and those who preside over the Security Council have a national position, but at the same time it has responsibilities towards the Council, whose work it manages, and must respect its customs, traditions and provisions.”

He added: “When a country chairs the Security Council, the exception is to speak on behalf of the country and the rule is to speak on behalf of the Council.
Algeria, as president of the Security Council, must act as president of the Security Council and not as a country with its national positions. In another context, Attaf stressed that Algeria has a major responsibility in the UN Security Council regarding the fight against the scourge of terrorism in Africa, since President of the Republic Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune is the spokesperson of Africa in the fight against terrorism and is authorized to follow this dossier on behalf of the continent.

“In parallel to the meeting on Gaza, we called for a second ministerial meeting on the phenomenon and scourge of terrorism in Africa,” said Mr. Attaf, noting the ‘very encouraging’ presence of African foreign ministers interested in this issue.

“Algeria has recently noticed that the international community has turned its attention away from this scourge in Africa. “Through this initiative (the ministerial meeting of the Security Council), we wanted to re-engage the international community and put the spotlight back on this scourge, which has become characterized by certain characteristics.

The minister added that there are four factors that prompted the highlighting of this scourge, “the first is that while we observe the decline of terrorism in several parts of the international community, we observe the expansion of terrorism in Africa.”

The second factor is that “terrorism has also strengthened in terms of numbers, as today it has become difficult for us to talk about terrorist groups and we have to say terrorist armies, given the growing numbers of these groups.”

Mr. Attaf went on to say, “The third factor is related to materiel. “There is an evolution of terrorist groups in Africa that have acquired advanced weapons that they use to carry out their operations, which I describe as military operations.

The fourth and final factor, according to the minister, is that “in terms of military action, we no longer see indiscriminate attacks in the behavior of terrorist groups. On the contrary, we are seeing a control of tactics and a control of military strategies, which indicates the growing danger of terrorism in Africa.”