JEDDAH, 22 February 2005 — The Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, urged the international community to take initiatives to spread peace, saying that terrorism is a problem that must be solved by the international community. The statement was in his message read out by Al-Tayeb Laouh, minister of labor & social affairs, Algeria, at the sixth Jeddah Economic Forum, at Hilton Hotel here.
President Bouteflika commended the historical relationship between Saudi Arabia and Algeria. He commended the role of the Jeddah Economic Forum for its role in bringing together famous personalities from different parts of the world and instituting varied discussions that help in overcoming many barriers.
The Algerian president considered globalization as the definite path that the world is treading. In order to join this global path, certain challenges must be met and Algeria is getting ready for globalization.
The Algerian president statement said the world has witnessed economical, social and political changes, and along with these changes the problem of terrorism and poverty has also emerged. Mechanisms must be put in place to face these challenges and find solutions, adding that his country had once suffered from this problem. Algeria took measures to restore peace by using national abilities to fight terror and to increase awareness in national and international levels.
On Algerian resources, the statement said that there are more than 40 million hectares of land ready for agriculture and Algeria boasts a wealthy marine life. He said Algeria’s economy is growing and his government has managed to control inflation through special programs to activate economy. The program included privatization to attract foreign investments.
He said that his country has also approved programs to activate small and medium enterprises and have restructured the education and judicial systems.