ALGERIA is eager to patch things up with Egypt,Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci has said,referring to violence that followed a World Cup play-off between his country and Egypt.
"We congratulate our brothers in gypt on Eid al-Adha [Feast of the Sacrifice ] and declare we are committed to a media calmdown,"Medelci told the London- based pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.The Algerian official said that the Egyptian-Algerian ties were so strong that they were in no need of mediation from a third party.He,however,expressed his country's appreciation of the Arab League 's and Libyan efforts in this respect. Tensions around crucial qualifyingmatches in Egypt and in Sudan in one week boiled over into confrontations between fans and a war of words in Egyptian and Algerian media that has strained ties between the two Arab countries.Around 31 Egyptian fans were hurt and some Egyptian businesses in theAlgerian capital suffered damage. Egypt recalled its ambassador from Algeria in protest.The Algerian diplomat was talking in response to an announcement by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Monday,saying that Egypt was committed to a media calmdown as a move to ease tensions with the North African country."Yes,we are committed to a calmdown. However,compensation [from Algeria ] for Egyptians hurt in the Khartoum inci- dents cannot be given up,"Abul Gheit said.Medelci said the financial reparations for Egyptians could be “discussed at another venue ”.Egyptian investments in Algeria are estimated at 6 billion dollars.
