Algeria accepts last-resort Mali intervention -sources
Thu Oct 25, 2012 2:42pm GMT
* Algeria fears spillover, seeks dialogue with rebels
* Accepts African-led force needed to defeat Islamists
* French see "tacit" accord easing Hollande visit to Algiers
By John Irish and Lamine Chikhi
PARIS/ALGIERS, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Algeria has given its tacit approval for
an Africa-led military intervention in northern Mali to rout Islamist
militants despite reservations the operation could spill over into its
territory and neighbouring countries, Algerian and French sources said.
Africa's biggest country and a top oil and gas exporter shares a 2,000 km
(1,242 mile) border with Mali and sees itself as the major regional power,
wary of any outside interference.
It fears military action in Mali could push al Qaeda militants back into
southern Algeria as well as triggering a refugee and political crisis,
especially among displaced Malian Tuaregs heading north to join tribes in
Algeria.
Although Algiers would not be able to veto an operation, it would be
diplomatically risky for African countries backed by Western powers to
intervene in Mali without Algeria's consent, especially as the conflict
could drag on for many months.
However, after weeks of diplomatic cajoling led by former colonial power
France, Algiers has now reluctantly agreed that foreign troops will be
needed to eradicate the Islamist threat. It continues to rule out any direct
support to the mission.
"At the end of the day, we won't oppose a military intervention in Mali as
long as foreign troops are not stationed on our soil," an Algerian source
informed about discussions on Mali said.
With six hostages held by the Islamists and fearful of an attack on home
soil, France is eager for swift action.
"Algeria now accepts the principle of a military intervention, which wasn't
the case before," a senior French diplomat said.
He said the change in position came after a high-level meeting in the Malian
capital Bamako on Oct. 19 that brought regional and international players to
the negotiating table.
A French defence ministry source said there was "tacit" agreement and that
Paris did not expect more from Algiers.
Algeria has repeatedly advocated a diplomatic solution in Mali since Tuareg
rebels and Islamists captured two thirds of the country after an army coup
in Bamako in March. The Islamist militants, some linked to al Qaeda, later
hijacked the revolt.
The Bamako meeting followed a French-drafted U.N. Security Council
resolution urging Mali to engage in dialogue with Tuareg Islamist rebels
Ansar Dine if they cut links with radical groups, a move that satisfied
Algiers' calls for dialogue.
Paris had until now considered Ansar Dine among the al Qaeda-linked groups
and refused to negotiate with them.
The resolution also asked African states and the United Nations for a Mali
military intervention plan within 45 days.
A second Algerian official said Algiers would do its best to find a
diplomatic solution, but could also potentially support Malian troops by
providing weapons for a future operation.
TERRORIST DENS
Diplomats say any intervention in the north is still some months away with a
three-phased plan likely to consolidate the south of Mali first, followed by
an operation to re-take northern cities and finally a mission to go after
militants.
In anticipation, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal told lawmakers
extra troops had been sent to secure Algeria's borders.
"We won't allow any threat to harm our nation," he said. "Algeria wants to
avoid having terrorist dens at its frontiers."
The change in Algeria's position comes amid an improvement in ties with
France 50 years after it gained its independence.
In a symbolic gesture before a state visit to Algeria in December, President
Francois Hollande acknowledged for the first time last week that Algerians
were massacred at an independence rally in Paris in 1961. Historians say
more than 200 may have been killed in the police action.
Four ministers, including the foreign minister and interior minister, have
travelled to Algiers in recent weeks to pave the way for the trip aimed at
normalising relations and ensuring the visit is not clouded by differences
over the Mali crisis.
"This changes things considerably for Hollande's trip. We are no longer at
risk of a discord over Mali," said a French diplomatic source. "It's no
longer the idea of a bellicose France demanding intervention and the
Algerians saying never."
Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa analyst at Eurasia Group, said there was
still a clear red line for Algeria which was that it would not intervene or
commit troops.
"They are adopting a sort of benevolent neutrality. The Algerians are going
to stand by and watch. I can't see collaboration at any level other than
intelligence sharing."
C Thomson Reuters 2012 All rights reserved
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Received on Thu Oct 25 2012 - 17:39:04 EDT
