Factual situation of Algeria

It is with great dismay and disappointment that I have noticed an endless number of reports on Algeria in your newspaper.

The partial and subjective content of these articles seems to confirm that your newspaper is embarked on a campaign aimed at dramatizing the situation in Algeria and affecting its image.

The articles are far from being an objective reflection of the situation prevailing in Algeria, and have been taken from western agencies with the evident objective to sensationalize at the price of distorting reality. The least your newspaper should have done, out of intellectual honesty, is check the facts, the contents and the nature of such information.

For instance, your assertion that violence started in Algeria with the cancellation of the 1992 general elections is a clear example of your ignorance about the political and social realities in Algeria. Any objective and well-informed observer knows that terrorism started before the cancellation of these elections and several events can be held up as examples to confirm that.

Some expressions used by your newspaper are also totally disrespectful. Your description of the Algerian government as a "military backed government" confirm bad faith or at least a lack of political judgment.

The expression itself is pejorative and raises the issue of your idea about the role of the army in any country. Should the military be against the government for the country to be considered democratic? Which government in the world is not backed by its military? As far as Algeria is concerned, President Liamine Zeroual has been elected through democratic, free and pluralistic elections supervised by international organizations. The Algerian government for its part is composed only of civilian personalities.

Algeria is currently engaged in a process aimed at building a strong and modern state, establishing a genuine and pluralistic democracy and relaunching its economy through a vast program of reforms.

The implementation of this policy has so far achieved positive results.

On the political field, 1997 will witness the setting up of all elected institutions, the establishment of a true democracy and the emergence of political representatives duly mandated through free and transparent elections.

On the economic front, Algeria posted its first economic growth rate in 10 years with 4.5 percent GDP growth in 1996. The inflation rate has been reduced to 16.5 percent (29 percent in 1995), the foreign exchange rate has increased to US$4 billion ($2billion in 1995), the balance of trade was marked by a surplus and national and foreign investment has increased substantially.

Terrorism, far from spreading all over the country as your articles seem to suggest, is limited only to some areas and has been defeated since it failed in its attempt against the Algerian state.

As President Liamine Zeroual stated in his address to the nation on Jan. 24, "the severe blows repeatedly dealt to this criminal group have impeded criminal terrorism to pretend to any capacity except cowardice and barbarity in the killing of innocents".

Faced with this failure, the weakened groups have turned to a new type of violence with strong media impact. It is therefore unfortunate that your newspaper contributed to the publicity of such atrocities showing a kind of morbid jubilation at every killing. One can only wonder why The Jakarta Post has always failed to mention a single positive development that took place in Algeria since 1995.

The Post also neglected to refer to the bravery of the Algerian people whose spirit of resistance and sacrifice has already won a big victory over its enemies of all kind, both at home and abroad.

There is no doubt that following the 1997 legislative and local elections, Algeria will emerge victorious. Will this free Algeria of all those negative attitudes and comments?

At a time when the Indonesian government is issuing warnings to some western media correspondents about their coverage of recent events in Indonesia, the least one can expect from an Indonesian newspaper is careful coverage of the situation in a friendly country.

SOUFIANE MIMOUNI

Ambassador

Algerian Embassy, Jakarta