Algiers, Oct 29, 2013 (SPS) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria Mr. Ramtane Lamamra described Tuesday in Algiers as "irresponsible" and "unacceptable" the media attack by the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) against Algeria following the call made by President of the Algerian Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika for monitoring of human rights in Western Sahara, calling the "Moroccan brothers for restraint."
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Justice Mr. Tayeb Louh Monday in Abuja at the African Conference of Solidarity with the Saharawi people, President Bouteflika stressed the need to establish an international mechanism for monitoring human rights in Western Sahara.
During a press conference held jointly with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia Maria Angela Holguin, who is making an official visit to Algeria, Mr. Lamamra underlined that the speech, read in Abuja on behalf of the Algerian President by the Minister of Justice, is "a reminder of the well-known position of Algeria on the requirement of respect for human rights in Western Sahara through the setting up of an international mechanism for monitoring and surveillance."
"This (the speech of the President of the Algerian Republic) seems to have triggered a response from the official news agency of the Moroccan kingdom (MAP). I will continue to stick to restraint, however, I must say this incident and the statements made by the head of a Moroccan openly and outrageously expansionist political party, are absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible," he added.
"On October 8 on the occasion of the Algerian Diplomacy Day, I called our Moroccan brothers to restraint and I indicated that for our part we would observe this restraint. Since then, unfortunately, they did not show much restraint,"said the Foreign Minister."We hope that both unacceptable and irresponsible positions will be the last of its kind that we hear," he wished. (SPS)
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