Algeria sets different standards for Libyan recognition

Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci has said at a Sunday 11th September press conference with his Malian counterpart that Algeria will officially recognise Libya's new rulers once the former rebels form a new government representative of all Libyans. His comments have already received considerable sarcastic comments because Algeria is the one North African country doing its best to hold out against a 'representative government'.

Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) has plentiful evidence that Algeria gave strong support to the Qadhafi regime during the six months before he was overthrown. It is also currently sheltering several members of his family, almost certainly in contravention of the UN travel ban; still providing support to Qadhafi loyalists; and doing almost everything in its power to destabilise the NTC by giving as much publicity as it can to alleged feuds between its Islamist and secularist members.

Algeria's two-faced stance is beginning to irritate the NTC's Western backers, namely the US, France and UK. France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppé made a very pointed comment this week when he said that “Algeria's position is not clear”. If Algeria continues to make trouble for the NTC, it is conceivable that the US might begin seriously to reconsider its hitherto strong support of the Algerian regime.

Algeria is the only Arab state to hold out on recognition of the NTC and it has been reluctant to engage with Libya's new rulers. Medelci did say, however, that there had been direct contacts between the two countries in the last two weeks and that a dialogue was developing, even though Algiers does not recognise the NTC as the legitimate authority in Tripoli.

Algeria angered the NTC by giving refuge to members of Qadhafi's family; and the question of whether Aisha Qadhafi did actually give birth to a baby, as Algeria claimed and used as its reason for breaching the UN travel ban, is still unresolved. In fact, as we have reported over the last two weeks, the only acceptable proof that Algeria is telling the truth over Aisha's second birth in eight months would be through irrefutable DNA evidence.

There are also doubts as to whether Algeria has, in fact, closed its southern frontiers to Qadhafi loyalists fleeing Libya and possibly cutting across the south-east corner of Algeria into Niger, as it has publicly stated.

For more news and expert analysis about Algeria, please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Sheikh Al-Qarni visits Libya to give a series of lectures

Following the hugely popular visit to Libya of Saudi Islamic scholar Salman al-Awda at the start of June, organised by Saif al-Islam, his sister Aisha Qadhafi has jumped on the bandwagon.

In the spirit of Ramadan in which it is traditional to invite scholars and sheikhs to give lectures, the Leader's daughter, through her Al-Watassimu charity, hosted another important Saudi religious figure in the Jamahiriya.

Sheikh Aidh Al-Qarni, a highly popular Islamic scholar, gave a series of lectures that were so well attended that in some locations the security forces struggled with crowd control. In Benghazi, for example, it was necessary for security personnel to form a row to protect the sheikh from the surging crowds all trying to shake his hand.

There was even a rumour that spread like wildfire by SMS that Al-Qarni had been the victim of an assassination attack during the push to get closer to him. The regime's willingness to host another Saudi sheikh demonstrates a new openness on the part of the Jamahiriya towards religious personalities. In the past it would have been unthinkable for figures such as Al-Qarni to make such public appearances in Libya.

However, like other states in the region, a greater willingness is emerging within the regime to allow space for certain Salafist currents such as that promoted by Al-Qarni and Al-Awda. This presumably constitutes a way to offer a religious outlet other than the more overtly politicised forms of Islamist opposition such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

Such currents preach obedience to the ruler of the day, and it seems that the Libyans are as keen as some of their neighbours to cash in on the sentiment. Moreover, inviting such figures is another means by which Saif al-Islam (and now Aisha) can boost their popularity among ordinary Libyans and demonstrate their own piety and religious conviction.

Libya also sought to make use of Al-Qarni in other ways. The Saudi sheikh was invited to give a lecture on the theme of tolerance in the Abu Slim prison. His audience comprised 400 Islamists, some of whom were released for the 1st September anniversary celebrations.

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates