ISLAMABAD: 03 Jan 2025 – Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs Mr. Ahmed Attaf presented at the special press conference the outcome of Algerian diplomacy’s activities for the year 2024, reviewing the most important achievements made during the past year, which contribute to strengthening the spread of Algerian diplomacy and enhancing its position and role at the regional and international levels.
Minister Ahmed Attaf says, “Fate has willed that Algeria joins the Security Council as a non-permanent member in this international context burdened with risks and challenges. As much as it is aware of the sensitivity of the situation and the difficulty of the task, our country has taken it upon itself to contribute, even if only to a small extent, to addressing the issues raised before this central UN body.
The instructions of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, were and still are a roadmap for Algeria’s term in the Security Council. This concerns four main axes:
– The first axis, that Algeria always works to be the Arab and African voice in the Security Council, advocating for the concerns of Arab and African countries and peoples, and defending their aspirations and ambitions with all honesty and sincerity.
– The second axis, that Algeria dedicate its term in the Council to supporting just causes, foremost among which is the Palestinian cause and the Western Sahara cause, in defense of the national rights established by international legality for the benefit of both the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples.
– The Palestinian issue, the priority of priorities:
With regard to the Palestinian cause, Minister Attaf declares: “our efforts have focused and continue to focus on the priority of a ceasefire and relief for the Palestinians in Gaza, and on the necessity of breaking the wall of immunity that the Israeli occupation is protected by, as well as on the inevitability of strengthening the horizon of a political settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict according to the formula of the two-state solution agreed upon internationally.
Algerian diplomacy is credited with having been behind all initiatives aimed at keeping the spotlight on the Palestinian cause at all times since its accession to the Security Council, and that it has submitted many draft resolutions and statements to curb the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and that it has always sought to mobilize more support for the Palestinian cause within the Security Council, and that it has re-presented the file of full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations on its true foundations, as an integral part of the requirements of the two-state solution that international legality has enshrined to establish a just, lasting and final peace in the Middle East region.”
– Western Sahara, a right cause and decolonization:
By the way, Minister Ahmed Attaf reiterated Algeria’s firm and strong position on the Western Sahara cause. “The Algerian position, inside and outside the Security Council, derives its strength from historical constants that cannot be refuted or falsified, and these are the facts that are completely linked: to the fact that the Sahrawi issue is a decolonization issue that has not been completed, to the fact that the Sahrawi people are qualified to exercise their inalienable and imprescriptible right to self-determination, and to the fact that the Moroccan presence on the Sahrawi lands is a complete alien occupation that cannot be legitimized, imposed, or accepted as inevitable. From this perspective, let me emphasize once again that any formula for a solution that is inconsistent with these established facts, such as the myth of autonomy plan, is nothing more than procrastination, delay, and disgraceful maneuvering of intentions and goals.”
– Algeria is a positive propositional force:
The third axis of the instructions of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, regarding Algeria’s role in the Security Council relates to the necessity of working to make Algeria a positive propositional force that contributes to bridging the rifts and divisions between the permanent members within the Security Council.
In this regard, Minister Ahmed Attaf affirms, “Algeria has succeeded to a large extent in this endeavor, by contributing to unifying the voice and influence of the Group of Ten Elected States (E10). For the first time in the history of the Security Council, this group, which represents the broadest spectrum of the international community, has initiated joint draft resolutions, the starting point being the draft resolution submitted by Algeria at the beginning of this year on the Palestinian cause.
This Algerian initiative was followed by other initiatives, all of which demonstrated the ability of the Group of Ten, or the Group of Elected States, to bring viewpoints closer together and to build bridges of communication and understanding between the permanent member states of the Council with the aim of formulating consensual solutions that satisfy everyone, raise the banner of the common good, and serve international peace and security.”
As for the fourth axis of the instructions of the President of the Republic, Minister Ahmed Attaf indicates that ” it relates to the necessity of upholding the rules of international law and the decisions of international legality in all of Algeria’s movements within the Security Council, as well as working to restore the prestige of the United Nations and its vital role in resolving disputes and settling them through peaceful negotiation.
International law remains the compass to which everyone must resort on an equal footing, and the United Nations remains the comprehensive framework that must fully play its role in activating the rules of international law and ensuring everyone’s compliance with its provisions without any discrimination, preference or favoritism.”
-Algeria: President of the UN Security Council in January:
Regarding Algeria’s presidency of the UN Security Council during the current month of January, in the second year of its term, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf defines the priorities:
“With regard to the Arab world, our focus will continue on the Palestinian cause, as Algeria will organize a ministerial meeting of the Security Council with the aim of discussing the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories in particular, and in the Middle East region in general.”
“As for the African continent: the focus will be on the issue of combating terrorism in Africa, through organizing a ministerial meeting of the Security Council to discuss the spread of the scourge of terrorism in our continent, especially since this scourge has become the most prominent and greatest threat to the security and stability of African countries these days.”
-Algeria, prominent role in Africa:
Minister Ahmed Attaf highlighted that “Algeria was an active party in the gains that Africa has recently achieved on the path of correcting the historical injustice imposed on it and strengthening its position on the international scene. I mean by this in particular: our continent’s acquisition of permanent membership in the G20, the growing recognition of our continent’s right to permanent representation in the UN Security Council and to expand its non-permanent representation in the same body, and the growing awareness of the inevitability of reforming international economic and financial organizations in a manner that does justice to our continent and preserves its rights, as well as achieving our continental demands related to financing peace operations approved by the African Union and ensuring their supervision and follow-up.”
– Algeria is a reliable international partner:
The efforts and endeavors made by Algeria in the Security Council are considered an extension of its role as an active and effective party keen to contribute to spreading security and stability, and as a reliable and trustworthy partner committed to establishing balanced relations that benefit everyone.
In this context, Minister Ahmed Attaf says: “ Algeria has proven its important role, not only as a reliable partner in responding to the needs of European countries in the field of natural gas, but also as an active party in defining the features of a sustainable solution to the problem of energy security on the international scene. This was demonstrated by the successful summit that our country hosted at the beginning of this year for the heads of state and government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. This role was also demonstrated by the prominent and remarkable participation of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in the G7 summit, which was held in the Italian city of Bari last June.”
