Algeria represents base of stability in region

Algeria represents the "base of stability" in a region marked this year by political and security instability, said Wednesday in Algiers, Vice-president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Christine Beerli, stressing the existence of a "strategic partnership" between the two parties.
"Algeria plays a key role and represents the base of stability in a region marked by political and security instability. We have a strategic partnership with both the Algerian government and the Algerian Red Crescent (CRA)," said the representative of the ICRC, in a press conference held at the end of her visit to Algeria.
In response to a question on the management of migration from sub-Saharan states to Algeria, Beerli underscored ICRC's "readiness" to "help" the CRA if needed, in a spirit of "complementarity" and not "competitiveness."
As for human rights, the speaker supported the "tremendous progress" made by Algeria for prison reform, launched in 2003, as well as the conditions of detention and custody.
"We have communicated this fact to the various authorities of the country, to which we proposed a support for strengthening the rule of law in prisons," said Beerli, stressing ICRC's will "to pursue structured discussions" about this issue.
This appeal "had a positive response" from the competent authorities, Beerli said, emphasizing the criterion of "confidentiality" that characterizes the humanitarian organization's missions, as a "value" to achieve "further progress" in the future.
As regards with the ICRC's mission in areas of conflict and war, Beerli gave the examples of the Committee's activities in Mali, Libya, Syria and Iraq to help the people most affected by the consequences of the political and security instability prevailing there.
"These interventions provide with us extensive experience in conflict situations, and we propose to share them with the Algerian government," stressed Beerli, deploring the "violation" of international law by states and armed groups which caused these dramatic problems.