US Ambassador Elizabeth Aubin: Americans Will Always Be Grateful to Algeria’s Diplomatic Role
The United States ambassador, Elizabeth Moore Aubin, said on Friday, that the American people remain grateful to Algerian diplomacy on the anniversary of the release of the American hostages in Iran.
Elizabeth Aubin posted a video on her official Twitter account along with a tweet that read, “As we commemorate the release of 52 American hostages in Iran, the American people and government remain profoundly grateful to Algeria for its mediation efforts that led to the release of our diplomats after 444 days of captivity.”
“Welcome to Villa Montfeld,” the ambassador said in the video accompanying the tweet. “It’s an enormous honor to live in this historic home”, ambassador Aubin said.
“One of the most amazing things that happened here was when the Algerian government brokered the accord that led to the release of 52 American hostages from captivity in Tehran. It all happened right here at villa Montfeld”.
An employee of the US Embassy in Algiers showed, in the same video, the letter that US President Jimmy Carter sent to Algerian Ambassador Reda Malek on February 19, 1981, after the release of the American hostages from Iran.
She read the letter: “To Ambassador Reda Malik, the American hostages have been released due to large in measure to your great efforts and those of your colleagues. The Algerian role in this endeavor has earned the respect and appreciation of the entire American people.”
“And today, from Villa Montfeld where the negotiations that led to the release of 52 American hostages back to their homes safe and sound, we would like to tell you that Americans will always be grateful to the diplomatic role Algeria played in resolving one of the biggest hostages crises of all time .. Thank you”, she concluded.
On January 20, 1981, an “Air Algérie” Aircraft landed on the tarmac at Algiers international airport, coming from Tehran, with 52 American diplomats on board, who had just been freed after 444 days of being held hostage at their embassy in Tehran.
While the United States welcomed the Shah of Iran, exiled to Mexico after the Islamic revolution of January 1979, 400 students attacked the American embassy in Tehran. After a two-hour siege, they invaded the scene and took 63 hostages as well as administrative staff. Their demands were precise: the release of the hostages in exchange for the delivery of the Shah to stand trial in Iran. Yet, the United States was unwilling to surrender its former ally, which it received for medical purposes, and it did not want to give in to Ayatollah Khomeini, suspected of being responsible for this operation. Thirteen hostages were released during the first weeks, while 52 had to wait for another 444 days. The 2012 Ben Affleck movie Argo depicted the escape of the very first hostages.
Yet, this story was much more than a Hollywood script and it turned out that the two countries in crisis chose Algeria as a mediator, at least for the second phase. Thus, the Algerian Government set up a “flying committee” of high-ranking experts, who, from Algiers, ensured communication between both the American and the Iranian governments, by shuttling as necessary, sometimes to Washington, sometimes to Tehran, and by also receiving their representatives in Algiers.
The mediators had to meet specific conditions: to be of a high level, to have a great deal of experience in international negotiation, and to have technical knowledge in various fields to find solutions adapted to various problem sets. The choice, therefore, fell mainly on three personalities: Abdelkrim Ghrïeb, Algerian Ambassador in Tehran; Redha Malek, Algerian Ambassador to the United States; Seghi Mostefaï, Head of the Central Bank of Algeria; as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed-Seddik Benyahia, as a negotiator-in-chief.
The three mediators began their work on November 10, 1980, and more than being just a channel of communication between the two countries in conflict, they worked on preparing the way for a solution that was likely to be accepted by the two antagonists by circumscribing the scope of the negotiation and reducing the differences between the positions of each party.
The negotiations were stuck on a specific point, linked to the financial “quantification” of Iranian assets seized by the USA. The Algerian mediators then proposed the idea of an Algerian Declaration which would set out the “independent obligations” of both the United States and Iran instead of the classic form of the Bilateral Agreement. On January 19, the Algiers Agreement was signed. The hostages were then released and flew to Algiers the day after and were then returned to their country on January 27, 1981.
Faithful since its independence to the values of dialogue and cooperation, Algeria did not hesitate to contribute, without departing from its neutrality, to the happy outcome of the crisis between the two countries.
This year 2023 marks the 42nd anniversary of this event and on this occasion, the United States ambassador, Elizabeth Moore Aubin, expressed a message of thanks to Algeria and its people for their example of humanitarian and diplomatic work. Although 42 years have passed since that fateful day, the memory of kindness and the professionalism of Algerian diplomates remains fresh in American memory. History will never forget Algeria’s assistance and friendship.
Yet, this story was much more than a Hollywood script and it turned out that the two countries in crisis chose Algeria as a mediator, at least for the second phase. Thus, the Algerian Government set up a “flying committee” of high-ranking experts, who, from Algiers, ensured communication between both the American and the Iranian governments, by shuttling as necessary, sometimes to Washington, sometimes to Tehran, and by also receiving their representatives in Algiers.
The mediators had to meet specific conditions: to be of a high level, to have a great deal of experience in international negotiation, and to have technical knowledge in various fields to find solutions adapted to various problem sets. The choice, therefore, fell mainly on three personalities: Abdelkrim Ghrïeb, Algerian Ambassador in Tehran; Redha Malek, Algerian Ambassador to the United States; Seghi Mostefaï, Head of the Central Bank of Algeria; as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed-Seddik Benyahia, as a negotiator-in-chief.
The three mediators began their work on November 10, 1980, and more than being just a channel of communication between the two countries in conflict, they worked on preparing the way for a solution that was likely to be accepted by the two antagonists by circumscribing the scope of the negotiation and reducing the differences between the positions of each party.
The negotiations were stuck on a specific point, linked to the financial “quantification” of Iranian assets seized by the USA. The Algerian mediators then proposed the idea of an Algerian Declaration which would set out the “independent obligations” of both the United States and Iran instead of the classic form of the Bilateral Agreement. On January 19, the Algiers Agreement was signed. The hostages were then released and flew to Algiers the day after and were then returned to their country on January 27, 1981.
Faithful since its independence to the values of dialogue and cooperation, Algeria did not hesitate to contribute, without departing from its neutrality, to the happy outcome of the crisis between the two countries.
This year 2023 marks the 42nd anniversary of this event and on this occasion, the United States ambassador, Elizabeth Moore Aubin, expressed a message of thanks to Algeria and its people for their example of humanitarian and diplomatic work. Although 42 years have passed since that fateful day, the memory of kindness and the professionalism of Algerian diplomates remains fresh in American memory. History will never forget Algeria’s assistance and friendship.
