PM Ouyahia puts failing Hadj Office under Religious Affairs Ministry's rule

Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia has decided to place the faltering office in charge of the Hadj and Omra (big and small pilgrimage) to the holy places of Islam in Saudi Arabia under the close supervision of the Religious Affairs Ministry headed by Abdallah Ghoullamalah until further notice. 

• Henceforth, the Hadj office which was created in Mars 2009 will be under the sole command of the Religious Affairs Minister whose main objective will consist in seeing to the smooth running of the 2010 annual pilgrimage for the benefit of all the Algerian pilgrims.
• The Hadj office has been held accountable by the relevant authorities for failing in its bounden mission to ensure the success of the 2009 annual pilgrimage.
• Scores of Algerian pilgrims bitterly complained about the shoddy organization of last year’s pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam in Saudi Arabia stressing that they had been left in the lurch by the careless organizers in Mecca and Medina.
• Negotiations are underway between the Algerian and Saudi authorities on ways of upgrading the Algerian pilgrims’ stay in the holy places of Islam, as well as reviewing the staggering prices of the air tickets and allowing more Algerian planes to land on Saudi airports in order to facilitate the outflow of the pilgrims.
• Furthermore, the Finance Ministry has decided to allot the Hadj office a financial package amounting to 5.2 billion dinars as part of measures aimed at ensuring the smooth running of the 2010 annual pilgrimage.