Algeria's rising violence

The mounting outrageous violence in Algeria has sent shock waves throughout the world. Some world leaders have called for the government of President Liamine Zeroual to take concrete measures to stop the brutal killings of innocent people by fundamentalists grouped in the outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS).

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Pope John Paul II, to mention just two, have decried the recent wave of brutalities in Algeria, where between 200 and 300 people were killed in overnight violence late last month. The victims, many of them women and children, were ruthlessly slaughtered. They were shot and their throats slit.

For months, the world body has eschewed commenting on the violence in Algeria -- which began nearly six years ago after the military-backed government canceled the results of the 1992 democratic election which FIS was sure to win -- on the grounds that the grim happenings in this North African country were Algeria's internal affair.

But as the situation worsened, the UN was compelled to break its silence.

"As the killing goes on and the number of victims rises, it is difficult for all of us to pretend that it is not happening, that we do not know about it and that we should leave the Algerian population to their lot," Annan said Saturday last week.

We agree with President Zeroual's statement, issued in reaction to Annan's remarks, that Algeria's problems "can only be resolved by the Algerians themselves, outside all foreign involvement, no matter what the source (is)."

We also believe, however, that fighting terrorism is not the sole right and monopoly of one country alone and that the world's condemnations of the fundamentalists' horrible killings of innocent people in Algeria can by no means be viewed as foreign interference.

Instead, the call, especially if and when it comes from the UN, signifies moral support and solidarity toward the entire people of Algeria, especially those who have been traumatized by years of violence, which reportedly has claimed the lives of around 60,000 people.

Given all this, one cannot but conclude that the Algerian government has failed to combat terrorism.

Political analysts here agree that the failure was due to the unwillingness of the Algerian government to make concessions to jump-start talks. And the initiative of President Zeroual was not welcomed by the majority of Algerian political parties and labor organizations on the grounds that the government's approach was to give more time for the military to eradicate the radical Moslem opposition.

The Algerian government, in our opinion, can apply a policy of constructive engagement in dealing with the Moslem leaders, especially now that the jailed founder of FIS, Abassi Madani, has offered a serious dialog to end the insurgency.

"Tolerance and dialog must prevail over the forces of violence so that the Algerian people are able to respond to the great challenges," Madani reportedly said in a letter addressed to the UN, stressing his willingness to talk with the Algerian authorities that would put an end to the bloody crisis.

Aside from tens of thousands of human casualties, Algeria's economy has suffered from years of political violence, with billions of dollars in financial losses.

We are of the opinion that if the Algerian government accepts the offer and, at the same time, applies a policy of constructive engagement, there will be greater chances for the country to regain its political and economic stability, thereby assuring the safety of its citizens as well as curbing prices of the main staple food, such as milk and bread, which has evidently troubled most Algerians.

We have great compassion for the Algerian people, with whom we have enjoyed a close relationship since our wars for independence. The ties have also continued to grow in many fields. We sincerely hope they will reach a comprehensive solution to their problem that will take them to lasting peace and democracy.