Algeria’s foreign minister Abdelaziz Bilkhadem stated Tuesday his country has no any kind of ties with Israel and would not back down from its stances related to the Middle East peace process and the Palestinian issue.
Replying a question in parliament, Bilkhadem declared, "there is no direct or indirect political, cultural, trade or economic relations with Israel."
The minister added Algeria has no intention to change its position supporting the Palestinian right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as a capital and to the Syrian right to regain the Golan Heights in line with the UN resolutions.
According to KUNA, reports on possible normalization of ties between Algeria and Israel have been circulating since the handshake between Algerian president Abdleaziz Bouteflika and former Israeli premier Ehud Barak at the funeral of the late Moroccan King Hassan II in July 1999.
In July 2000, the French magazine L express stated that there was a close cooperation between Algeria and Israel, especially in the area of fighting terrorism.
The publication conveyed that Algeria imports medicines from Israel through the port of Marseilles and the bills are paid via a Moroccan bank. (Albawaba.com)
