France’s Le Drian Urges Cooperation with Algeria after Crisis

Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) in Algiers. (AFP)
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) in Algiers. (AFP)
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France’s Le Drian Urges Cooperation with Algeria after Crisis

Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) in Algiers. (AFP)
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) in Algiers. (AFP)

France's top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian said cooperation with Algeria is "indispensable" for regional stability, during a visit to the former French colony.

"We are facing regional challenges, first and foremost terrorism," he said late Wednesday after meeting his counterpart Ramtane Lamamra and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

"So our cooperation on security and for the stabilization of the region is indispensable in the Mediterranean and in Africa."

Le Drian stressed the urgency of "the evolution of the situation in the Sahel and the need to relaunch the transition process in Libya".

France and Algeria have been attempting to improve their ties after a diplomatic crisis.

Algeria had withdrawn its ambassador in October after French President Emmanuel Macron accused Algeria's "political-military system" of rewriting history and fomenting "hatred towards France".

Le Drain had visited in December in order to repair the damage and the French ambassador returned in January.

On Wednesday, the foreign minister said Paris and Algiers were working on reviving bilateral relations "essential for each of our two countries and that we wish to maintain over the long term".

He also said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had "major consequences" for energy in Europe and for food security, including in Algeria.

Algeria is a major exporter of natural gas, which covers over 11 percent of Europe's needs, compared to Russia which makes up about 47 percent.

European countries have been trying to ramp up Algerian exports to reduce their reliance on Russia, but experts say the North African country has limited room for maneuver, partly due to its own soaring domestic needs.

Algeria did however sign a deal on Monday to boost exports to Italy by the Transmid undersea pipelie.



Gaza: Polio Vaccine Campaign Kicks off a day Before Expected Pause in Fighting

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Gaza: Polio Vaccine Campaign Kicks off a day Before Expected Pause in Fighting

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A campaign to inoculate children in Gaza against polio and prevent the spread of the virus began on Saturday, Gaza's Health Ministry said, as Palestinians in both the Hamas-governed enclave and the occupied West Bank reeled from Israel's ongoing military offensives.

Children in Gaza began receiving vaccines, the health ministry told a news conference, a day before the large-scale vaccine rollout and planned pause in fighting agreed to by Israel and the UN World Health Organization. The WHO confirmed the larger campaign would begin Sunday.

“There must be a ceasefire so that the teams can reach everyone targeted by this campaign,” said Dr. Yousef Abu Al-Rish, deputy health minister, describing scenes of sewage running through crowded tent camps in Gaza.

Associated Press journalists saw about 10 infants receiving vaccine doses at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

Israel is expected to pause some operations in Gaza on Sunday to allow health workers to administer vaccines to some 650,000 Palestinian children. Officials said the pause would last at least nine hours and is unrelated to ongoing cease-fire negotiations.

“We will vaccinate up to 10-year-olds and God willing we will be fine,” said Dr. Bassam Abu Ahmed, general coordinator of public health programs at Al-Quds University.

The vaccination campaign comes after the first polio case in 25 years in Gaza was discovered this month. Doctors concluded a 10-month-old had been partially paralyzed by a mutated strain of the virus after not being vaccinated due to fighting.

Healthcare workers in Gaza have been warning of the potential for a polio outbreak for months. The humanitarian crisis has deepened during the war that broke out after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.

Hours earlier, the Health Ministry said hospitals received 89 dead on Saturday, including 26 who died in an overnight Israeli bombardment, and 205 wounded — one of the highest daily tallies in months.