Ould Kablia : “Our relations with Libya will be tense if the insurgents seize power”

In an exclusive interview granted to the newspaper “Echorouk”, the Minister of the Interior and local assemblies, Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia, has said that the Libyan insurgents have wrongly accused Algeria stressing that in case they come to power in Libya, the relations between the two neighbouring countries will be fraught with tension.

• Echorouk : Given the bitter conflict now going on in Libya between pro and anti-Kadhafi forces, do you think that Algeria’s eastern borders are safe?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia :  On account of the ongoing conflict on Libyan territory, there are accordingly security risks as terrorists could infiltrate into national territory.
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• But we have taken all the necessary steps to prelude that. In fact, exceptional security measures have been enforced along the Algerian-Libyan border.
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• Echorouk :  Despite the manifold firm denials by the national official authorities, the Libyan transition council (CNT) is still accusing our country of funneling mercenaries to Libya, what is your reaction?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia  :  The CNT’s accusations are pure lies and they are utterly groundless.
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• The glorious history of our country shows that Algeria has always respected the peoples’ will not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
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• Echorouk  :  The Libyan foreign Minister has excluded the idea of the insurgents coming to power in Libya but if this contingency happens in one way or another, how do you see the relations between Algeria and Libya?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia  :  The rebels have wrongly attacked our country by leveling mendacious accusations against Algeria. In case they come to power in Libya, I think that the relations between our two countries will be very tense.
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• Echorouk :  At the domestic level, what are now the priority files among the laws due to be altered?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia :  This is obviously the case of the electoral law and the law on political parties.
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• The revamping of these two laws will allow us to set up a new judicial framework in expectation of the next legislative elections slated for 2012.
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• Echorouk :  With regard to the planned revision of the constitution, do you think that the article providing for the curtailment of the number of presidential mandates will be amended?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia :  The amendment to the constitution will be different from the ordinary legislative texts.
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• Numerous figures could put forth proposals on the constitutional revision notably from the political parties, the administration, the civil society etc …
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• These proposals will be forwarded to the President of the Republic who is the only person entitled to amend the constitution.
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• The revised fundamental law will be then submitted to a vote in Parliament or to a popular referendum, according to the will of the President of the Republic.
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• Echorouk :  What about the Algerian political system?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia : Well, certain parties assert that the Algerian political system has not changed since the country’s independence in 1962. This is false because the Algerian system has changed several times.
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• There are truly some similarities between the regimes of Ahmed Ben Bella, Houari Boumedienne, Chadli Bendjedid, Mohamed Boudiaf, Liamine Zeroual and Abdellaziz Bouteflika but I guess that all these regimes are different.
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• Echorouk : Despite the lifting of the state of emergency, the Saturday rallies are always banned, why?
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• Mr. Dahou Ould Kablia :  These rallies organized several times on Saturdays and the politically – motivated protests have clearly fizzled out.
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• These protests are in fact only vain maneuvers to sow confusion.
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• We have proposed to them to hold their rallies and meetings in indoor venues and to express their views on TV but Said Sadi and Ali Yahia Abdennour have flatly turned down such proposals.
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