Bouteflika’s visit to Great Britain

Bouteflika’s visit to Great Britain

Four cooperation agreements signed

El Khabar, 12 July 2006

The President of Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has insisted on the importance of the visit which he is carrying since yesterday to Great Britain, he has declared to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and “I am happy that you have bet on Algeria and the joy is greater to know that this bet has a promising future”. The meeting between the two men was crowned by a press conference, it was agreed after the discussions between the responsibles of the two countries, to open workshops of discussions in order to reach a common agreement in the field of defence and security, the importance of what was reached is shown through the confirmation of the opening of bilateral “negotiations” in order to bring the military equipment of British manufacture. Blair has considered in front of the Algerian and foreign press that the relation between the two countries must be constant and must touch all the aspects especially that the United Kingdom is currently importing 12% of its needs on gas from Algeria, he has added that the next months will increase the pursuit of the relations between the two countries in order to exploit the co-operation opportunities. On another hand, it was proceeded yesterday morning in the seat of the British Interior Ministry to the signature of four security and legal cooperation agreements between Algeria and the United Kingdom, the first around the Algerian extradition held in the United Kingdom for terrorism, the second around the co-operation in the penal field, the third in the field of the civil and commercial legislation and the fourth around the manner of facilitating the movement of people, considering that these two countries have signed initials of these agreements during of the visit of the diplomatic British responsible in charge of the Middle-East and the North of Africa, Kim Howells, a few weeks ago.

By Hassan Halimi from London