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Algeria, Italy Discuss Energy, Terrorism, Immigration

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
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Algeria, Italy Discuss Energy, Terrorism, Immigration

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf stressed on Monday that trade exchanges with Italy have reached unprecedented levels in bilateral relations.

Trade exchanges between the two countries increased 250 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, and intra-investments witnessed a substantial rise in energy, especially since the interruption of Russian gas supplies to Italy at the beginning of the war in Ukraine last year.

Attaf spoke from Algiers at the second round of the Algerian-Italian strategic dialogue on bilateral relations and comprehensive political and security issues.

The first round was held in Rome in March 2022. The talks are held annually to discuss security issues, bilateral economic cooperation, threats of terrorism, and illegal immigration in the Mediterranean region.

Attaf explained that the bilateral ties with Italy have never been better thanks to the strategic partnership, asserting that the two countries are committed to the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation.

The minister added that his country is keen on consolidating the pillars of the strategic partnership in energy through its role as a reliable regional and international supplier.

Furthermore, he welcomed the recent agreement between Italy, Austria, and Germany on the SoutH2 Corridor project.

The project will pave the way for a broader agreement within the European Union to support it, said Attaf.

Energy experts estimate the project will cover ten percent of Europe's gas needs by 2050.

Monday’s meeting was attended by Secretary-General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Riccardo Guariglia.

The problem of illegal immigration was the subject of in-depth discussions between Algiers and Rome during a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Algeria in January.

On Sunday, the Algerian presidency announced that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed, in a phone call with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, bilateral and international issues, including Algiers’ mediation in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.

Tebboune had visited Moscow in June where he met with President Vladimir Putin and proposed a mediation to end the conflict with Ukraine.

Tebboune visited Italy in May and reassured its government about Algeria's fulfillment of its commitments regarding supplying it with gas.

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Netanyahu ‘Takes Revenge’ on Macron in Lebanon

 A photo of Netanyahu and Macron during their meeting in Jerusalem in October 2023 (AFP)
 A photo of Netanyahu and Macron during their meeting in Jerusalem in October 2023 (AFP)
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Netanyahu ‘Takes Revenge’ on Macron in Lebanon

 A photo of Netanyahu and Macron during their meeting in Jerusalem in October 2023 (AFP)
 A photo of Netanyahu and Macron during their meeting in Jerusalem in October 2023 (AFP)

Israel’s insistence that France can not be a member of the international committee that will monitor a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon is due to a series of French practices that have disturbed Israel recently, political sources in Tel Aviv revealed.
These practices are most notably attributed to the French judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, who has joined other judges to unanimously issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the sources revealed.
“The Israeli government is following with concern the French role at The Hague,” they said, noting that veteran French lawyer Gilles Devers led a team of 300 international lawyers of various nationalities who volunteered to accuse Israel of “committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
According to the Israeli Maariv newspaper, Israeli officials believe that Devers, who signed the arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Galant, would not have dared to do so without having received a green light from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Israeli sources also mentioned other reasons for Israel’s anger at France, such as the government’s decision to bar Israeli firms from exhibiting at the Euronaval arms show near Paris earlier this month.
French officials have repeatedly said that Paris is committed to Israel's security and point out that its military helped defend Israel after Iranian attacks in April and earlier this month.
Paris has so far also refused to recognize the Palestinian state. But the Israeli government is not satisfied. It wants France to follow the United States and blindly support its war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Tel Aviv also feels incredibly confident that France should be punished, and therefore, decided that Paris could not participate in the Lebanese ceasefire agreement, knowing that the Israeli government itself has traveled to Paris several times begging for its intervention, especially during the war on Lebanon.
Meanwhile, an air of optimism has emerged in Israel around the chances for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon following negotiations led by US envoy Amos Hochstein.
But any optimism relies on Netanyahu’s final decision. The PM is still conducting talks with his friends and allies of the far right who reject the ceasefire agreement and instead, demand that Lebanese citizens not be allowed to return to their villages on the border with Israel. They also request that a security belt be turned into a permanently depopulated and mined zone.
Hochstein Talks
Meanwhile, political sources in Israel claim that what is holding up a ceasefire deal so far is Lebanon. According to Israel's Channel 12, Hochstein expressed a “firm stance” during his talks with the Lebanese side. The envoy delivered clear terms that were passed on to Hezbollah, which the channel said “led to significant progress” in the talks.
Israeli officials said that Tel Aviv is moving towards a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with Hezbollah in the coming days.
The channel said that during his late visit to Tel Aviv, coming from Beirut after talks with Speaker Nabih Barri, Hochstein said, “I placed before them (Lebanese officials) a final warning, and it seems to have been effective.”
Iran Obstacle
Despite the “positive atmosphere,” informed diplomatic sources pointed to a major obstacle: Iran.
Channel 12 quoted the sources as saying that Lebanon has not yet received the final approval required from Iran, which has significant influence over Hezbollah.

According to the draft proposal, the Lebanese Army must be redeployed to the south and carry out a comprehensive operation to remove weapons from villages. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will “supervise and monitor the implementation of the operation.”
Channel 12 said Israel believes that such details could still derail the agreement. It also said that Hezbollah could violate the truce.
“In such cases, Israel would have to conduct military operations inside the Lebanese territory,” the channel reported, adding that “one of the unsettled issues is related to the committee that will oversee the implementation of the agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”
The sources said Tel Aviv “insists that France is not part of the agreement, nor part of the committee that will oversee its implementation.”