WRITTEN QUESTION E-3398/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Council (28 October 1997)

Subject: Human rights in Algeria

The bloodshed is continuing in Algeria. More than 60 people were murdered by armed gangs on the night of Sunday, 28 and in the early hours of Monday, 29 September 1997 in the Blide region in the west of the country, 50 km from Algiers, and in two districts on the western outskirts of Algiers. The press accounts are terrifying: the newspaper Libertà, for example, reported among other things that a baby's head had been found on the roof of a house.

The understanding that human rights know no frontiers is one of the greatest achievements of the international community. Moreover, when civil rights are being brutally violated and the situation has deteriorated to the point that it has reached in Algeria, there can be no talk of 'internal affairs'.

Given, therefore, that the international community has a clear responsibility to act, does the Council not believe that it should and must open a dialogue with the Algerian Government aimed at halting the massacres of civilians in Algeria?

Answer (9 March 1998)

At its meeting on 26 January 1998, the Council welcomed the Ministerial troika's visit to Algiers from 19 to 20 January 1998. That visit was an effective expression of the deep concern of the European Union at the situation in Algeria, of the strong sympathy of the peoples of the European Union with their Algerian neighbours, and of the hope that the suffering of the Algerian people should come quickly to an end. The Council strongly reiterated its condemnation of all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate violence.

The Council reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Union to remaining engaged on this issue. The visit of the troika should be regarded as a key step towards an extensive dialogue with the Algerian Government, begun with the visit of Foreign Minister Attaf to Luxembourg in November. This dialogue has taken on a new quality and urgency. Taking forward talks on the EU-Algeria Association Agreement would be instrumental in pursuing the dialogue.

Through this intensified expression of international concern and support, the Council hoped that the Algerian Government would be in a better position to engage in finding the solution to the terrorist problem.

The Council regretted that offers of humanitarian assistance have not been taken up, but agreed they remain on the table should the Algerian authorities see scope for a meaningful role for neighbourly assistance.

The Council called for greater transparency on the part of the government of Algeria about the situation, in which terrorist groups continue to perpetrate cowardly and brutal attacks on innocent civilians. The Council regretted that the Algerian authorities have felt unable to provide unhindered access for international organizations, NGOs and the media. The Council hoped that the Algerian authorities would feel able to accept a visit by Representatives of the United Nations in the near future. The Council continues to urge the Algerian authorities to reconsider these points in the light not only of the EU's approach but also of the support which this approach has received internationally.

The strengthening of inclusive democratic institutions and of the role of the judiciary will help to isolate and undermine those who seek political change through violence. In this context the Council encouraged more frequent contact between Algerian and European parliamentarians. The forthcoming visit of the representatives of the European Parliament will be an important step in this regard.

The Council looked forward to a further meeting between the Algerian Foreign Minister and the Presidency to continue a broad dialogue. Within the scope of this dialogue, the Council reaffirmed the willingness of the Union and its Member States to discuss any concerns and proposals that the Algerian authorities might seek to bring to its attention, including the struggle against terrorism.