From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ALGERIA: WAR AGAINST FIS SET TO INTENSIFY AS PARDON EXPIRES
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 04:39:00 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ALGERIA: WAR AGAINST FIS SET TO INTENSIFY AS PARDON EXPIRES


an inter press service feature

by abdelmajid bejar

tunis, dec 4 (ips) -- as the end of the ''grand pardon'' offered
to ''repentants'' of armed fundamentalist groups belonging to
the outlawed islamic salvation front (fis) draws to an end,
algeria is poised for a new phase in the war against muslim
fundametalism.

the ''grand pardon'' which ends dec. 4 was decreed two months
ago by a new law against terrorism and offers ''penitents'' of
islamic movements the chance to surrender without being brought
to trial as long as they are not guilty of murder or having
participated in an armed attack which has crippled the victim.

the new law, which contains severe anti-terrorist measures,
is part of the algerian government's plan to launch ''an all out
war'' against armed movements of fis who were responsible for 12
bloody attacks during 1992.

the most violent of these was the august attack on algiers
airport which resulted in the death of eight people and injured
339 lives and caused 602 injuries, most of them policemen and
soldiers.

''the next few days will mark a determining phase in the war
against islamic fundamentalism,'' a highly placed source who
declined to be named told ips.

the head of the algerian government belaid abdessalam,
saturday had a meeting behind closed doors with the interior
minister, the governors of eight regions as well as officials
of the security services in charge of the war against terrorism.

following the meeting abdessalam told newspeople that having
definitely established the ''fis was responsibile for plotting
to destabilise country'', the meeting had decided on certain
measures that might limit the freedom of citizens but were
necessary to maintain peace and stability in the country.

according to the algerian press these measures will involve,
among other things, the imposition of a curfew in the capital
algiers and its bordering regions as well as sytematic patrols
in areas suspected of harboring armed fundamentalis elements.

parallel to the new security measures and the on-going
anti-terrorist struggle, the algerian government is preparing a
series of administrative measures which will affect organisations
and associations suspected of serving as a screen for the fis.
(more/ips)


algeria: war (2)

these include the dissolution of the islamic leagues
affiliated to the islamic labour union which is not recognised
by the government. these were founded more than two years ago by
fis as a means of organising the working class in its favour.

in addition, more than 20,000 charity, cultural and social
associations will be dissolved, as well as publishing houses and
bookshops specialising in islamic literature.

these organisations are all suspected of receiving funds from
what is known as the ''fundamnetalist international'', another
name for the iran-sudanese axis and their satellites in pakistan
and afghanistan.

also scheduled for dissolution are the municipal councils of
some 400 towns and cities controlled by the fis. these were
were elected in the local algerian elections held in june 1990.

however, fis militants are not preapred to surrender
themselves. so far, only about 100 ''repentants'' have taken
advantage of the amnesty.

last tuesday gunmen allegedly belonging to fis tried to
assassinate abdelhak ben hamouda, general secretary of the
algerian trade union federation (ugta).

hamouda, a fierce opponent of the islamic labour union,
escaped unscathed despite several shots being fired at him as he
was on his way to the union's head office.

hamouda was one of the principle organisers last january of
the national committee for the safeguard of algeria. its most
notable action was to demand the annulment of the legislative
elections won by fis under sheikh abbes madani, who is now in
prison.

while fis seems to have changed its tactics lately -- now
choosing to attack civilians known for their opposition to the
islamists instead of policemen and soldiers -- the government
appears to have decided to finish off fis once and for all, two
months before the end of the ''state of emergency'' decreed
feb. 9, 1991 to fight islamic integralist terrorism.
however, observers say the task of the police, and the
meanwhile egypt which has also stepped up its implacable
anti-fundametalist struggle will be a attentive observer of the
development of anti-terrorist operations in algeria, notably
after the formulation last week of a joint algerian-egyptian
plan to coordinate their fight against fundamentalist terrorism
and the teheran-khartoum ''terrorist axis''.
(end/ips/trd/ab/tvh/92)