How solid are the good relations with North Africa, ponders Nosreddine Qassem The US has never had it so good in the Arab Maghreb. For the first time, everyone is a friend, from Libya to Morocco. Mauritania, where a coup took place recently, is the only exception. This is a tremendous achievement for the Bush administration in a region that used to be dominated by the French. To capture the moment, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went on a "farewell" tour of the region, hailing good relations, voicing a bit of concern over human rights, and seeking to rally leaders against what the US sees as a resurgent threat from Al-Qaeda. Starting out on a high note in Libya, the secretary of state called her visit "historic". But there was no helping touching a raw nerve every now and then. The record of democracy and human rights in Tunisia had to be mentioned. And the unpleasant stalemate over the Western Sahara had to be addressed. But the main thing Rice wanted to talk about was terror. How to fight the Al-Qaeda in the countries of the Islamic Maghreb? How to set up Africa Command (AFRICOM)? And what happens to former Guantanamo detainees once they are deported back to their countries? The secretary of state also discussed economic cooperation, especially in oil. Should energy shortages develop in the future, perhaps due to Western disputes with Iran and Russia, oil from North Africa would be quite vital to the Americans. But even when brining up controversial issues, Rice was careful not to ruffle too many feathers. In Tunis, her second stop, Rice urged the Tunisian authorities to redeem their record on human rights and press freedom and treat former Guantanamo detainees in a decent manner. Washington may have been embarrassed by the heavy-handed ways of President Ben Ali, who has come under extensive criticism worldwide for his repression of the opposition and human rights violations. So Rice had to call the attention of the Tunisians to the ongoing "excesses", but almost in the same breath she showered them with praise for their attempts to democratise the country and empower women. In Algeria, Rice commended the policies of President Bouteflika and said she wanted to cooperate more closely with the Algerian government on terror. More "exchange of information" on terror networks was needed, she said, hinting perhaps that the Algerians were not exactly meeting US wishes in this regard. Algiers, it is to be recalled, has bluntly refused to host the AFRICOM headquarters, which made it harder for Washington to ask any other African country to do so. For now, AFRICOM is located at temporary quarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The Algerians are known to be generally opposed to hosting any foreign military bases. But there is another reason why they were so set against the whole AFRICOM thing. They do not agree with the Americans that Al-Qaeda has come to North Africa. The organisation often referred to as Al-Qaeda in the countries of the Islamic Maghreb is but a figment of the media's imagination, Algerian officials claim. The Americans may fear that the great Sahara desert is turning into another Afghanistan. The Algerians don't think so. The Americans may believe that the entire Sahel region has become a hotbed for smugglers of weapons and narcotics. The Algerians don't want to hear about it. No wonder then that Rice didn't even bring up the Western Sahara issue in her press statements in Algeria. Wanting to leave Algeria on a cordial note, the secretary decided to keep her public comments on the 30-year-long conflict till she got to Morocco. Recently, President Mohamed Abdul-Aziz of the Western Sahara called on the US to push Morocco into accepting a referendum on self-determination on the matter. But for now, the Americans prefer to straddle the fence. They vaguely agree with Algeria that the UN should play a role in resolving the crisis. They apparently also support the Moroccan formula for self-rule. The US secretary stayed for two days in Morocco, where she confirmed this, but added Washington wants to maintain good relations with all Maghreb countries. Speaking to reporters in Rabat, Rice expressed hope that the next round of talks between Morocco and Algeria, slated for this autumn, would be successful. In her talks with Moroccan officials, Rice discussed the political reform programme of Mohamed VI, mentioning the rights of the families of those who went missing or were assassinated during his father's time. The farewell tour was a chance for Rice to celebrate a remarkable foreign policy success on her watch. The secretary of state has done well in this part of the world. And even after she goes back to her teaching career or moves on to a well-paid job with a Bush-owned oil company, the relations she cultivated in North Africa may prove invaluable.
