What did President Bouteflika tell Ghannouchi and Caid Essebsi?

Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, met with both Rached Ghannouchi and Beji Caid Essebsi, two leading Tunisian political leaders, separately on back to back days last week in Algiers.

The Algiers meetings came just as a mediation effort led by Tunisia’s largest union, the UGTT, has stalled.

Comments by political leaders and analysts suggest a potential mediating role for Algeria in Tunisia’s domestic politics. 

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the ruling Ennahdha party told reporters that Algeria has interests in the security and stability of Tunisia. He added that it was “a good thing” that President Abdellaziz Bouteflika also met with Nidaa Tounes leader Beji Caid Essebsi.

“Algeria supports consensus in Tunisia, it is not with one party or the other,” Ghannouchi added.

While not saying explicitly that Bouteflika is playing any mediation role, Ghannouchi said that the meetings were a positive development.

Talks were said to touch upon security coordination in anti-terrorism operations between Tunisia and Algeria along their shared border, which Ghannouchi also mentioned in the press statement

“We’re in a war against terrorists and Algeria has a long experience with this,” Ghannouchi said, alluding to Algeria’s ongoing successful counter-terrorism operations since the 1990s.

This may be construed by some commentators as a natural role for Algeria in mediating Tunisia’s acute political crisis.

“The root of the crisis is the security situation in Tunisia,” said a Tunisian analystwith the polling group SIGMA Council, adding, “Algeria is linked in this security problem.”

“Algerians have become extremely wary that instability at its doors opens opportunities for foreign powers to meddle in local and regional affairs,” he wrote. “This happened in Libya and again in Mali.”

He said that as the meetings happened back to back and just as UGTT Union-backed dialogue stalled, they appear to represent a mediation attempt.

He added, however, that the meetings were unlikely to have touched upon the details of any political deal.

“I do not think that Ghannouchi and Essebsi discussed with President Bouteflika the details of the process of negotiation, but most probably the discussion revolved around the framework in which negotiations are taking place,” he said.

Political commentators also pointed out Algeria’s interests in mediating.

“Algeria will have presidential elections in April 2014, and it does not want its polls to take place in an atmosphere threatened by the danger of terrorism,” they explained.

They brought out the importance of security issues in what may be an Algerian mediation attempt. 

“What may pave the way for mediation is the security cooperation between Tunisia and Algeria,” theyasserted.

In Algeria, the reasons for Ghannouchi’s and Essebsi’s visits were unclear, with both the ministry of foreign affairs and the presidency saying little about the encounters.