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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran and Algeria laying groundwork for Islamic unity |
| 2007-08-07 |
| (MNA) -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's two-day trip to Algeria can be viewed and analyzed from various angles. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the two revolutionary countries established extensive political, economic, and cultural ties. Algeria, which is one of the most important Islamic/Arab countries, welcomed the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution and made efforts to establish cordial and strong relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The relations grew even stronger from 1979 to 1980 due to the fact that Algeria played a constructive role in resolving the crisis over the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Frequent exchanges of visits by high-ranking Algerian and Iranian officials paved the way for the expansion of diplomatic ties. During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Algeria tried to act as a mediator to end the war that Saddam Hussein had imposed on the Islamic Republic. On May 3, 1982, an aircraft carrying Algerian Foreign Minister Mohammed Ben Yahia, who was flying to Tehran, was shot down on the border of Iran and Turkey by an Iraqi fighter jet. Even before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Algeria played an important role in drafting the 1975 agreement between Iran and Iraq over the issue of the Arvand River (Shatt-al-Arab). The Algerian people fought against foreign colonialists for decades to gain independence, earning the respect of all Islamic nations and inspiring Iran to strengthen its ties with the North African country. In addition, the important role played by Iran and Algeria in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) prepared the ground for the convergence of Tehran and Algiers. Unfortunately, enemies of the two nations tried to foment discord between the two countries by accusing Iran of having had a hand in Algeria's painful incidents in 1992, and thus relations became chilly in the 1990s. However, after Abdul Aziz Bouteflika's victory in the Algerian presidential election of 1999, relations between the two countries started to improve because of his efforts to promote Islamic unity. The anti-colonialist stance of the two geostrategically important countries brought Iran and Algeria back together and they finally resumed their diplomatic relations in 2000. Now, the trip of the Iranian president and his delegation to Algeria heralds a new day in collaboration between the two countries. Furthermore, joint investments in the oil and gas sectors, the two countries? efforts to strengthen OPEC, and the proposal to establish an organization of gas exporting countries will enhance this cooperation. Since Iran and Algeria are two important gas exporting countries, Ahmadinejad's visit will be a prelude to the establishment of this gas 'OPEC'. The organization will maintain the national interests of the gas exporting countries by helping conserve this important natural resource. Ahmadinejad's visit to Algeria will help strengthen Islamic unity and facilitate efforts to confront the threats to the Islamic/Arab world, and the positive effects of the trip will become apparent in the near future. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Iran and Algeria, eh? What are they going to call this club, the Islamic Federation of Failed States? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2007-08-07 13:17 |
| #2 due to the fact that Algeria played a constructive role in resolving the crisis over the U.S. embassy in Tehran WTF? On another note, this reminds me of those past triumphs, the United Arab Republic, the United Arab States, the Arab Federation, and the Federation of Arab Republics. Remember? No? |
| Posted by: Spot 2007-08-07 08:31 |
| #1 What could possibly go wrong? |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-08-07 01:43 |