INTERVIEW-Top Islamist offers olive branch to Algeria army
Source: Reuters
By William Maclean and Lamine Chikhi LARBAA, Algeria, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Algeria's powerful army, an unyielding foe of Islamist rebels, has a key role to play in forging peace and democracy after years of strife, a top Islamist opposition politician told Reuters in an interview. The conciliatory remarks by Rabah Kebir are the most positive made by a senior Islamist about the influential military since Algeria descended into violence in 1992 following aborted elections that Kebir's party was poised to win. "The army is a key player during this transitional period," said Kebir, a revolutionary-turned-reformist who has drawn national attention by voicing support for government peace efforts since returning from 14 years in exile in September. "It (the army) is a real guarantee that the political class will reach a stage where it will be able to govern the country in the manner of Western democracies," said Kebir, dressed in a traditional flowing white "kamis" robe as he spoke during a visit to Larbaa town south of Algiers. "The day the parties will govern the country, that day the army will withdraw and play its role as described in the constitution." His unusual praise of the army's role in ensuring security and political stability signals a deepening of his rapprochement with the government, which has sought to welcome Islamists into the political mainstream provided they renounce violence. A slim, tall figure with a close cut beard, Kebir spoke to Reuters after leading evening prayers for about 30 colleagues, among them several founders of the FIS and its armed wing, in the house of an associate in this fruit-farming town. With his return from Germany Kebir, in his late 40s, became the first leader of the banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) to end his self-imposed exile since its armed wing began a revolt in 1992. Several other FIS leaders remain overseas. ELECTION The rebellion erupted after the then military-backed authorities, fearing an Iran-style revolution, scrapped a parliamentary election the FIS was set to win. Up to 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the fighting. The violence has sharply subsided in recent years. The FIS remains banned and a state of emergency imposed in 1992 remains in place. Algerians say the army has wielded significant influence in national affairs ever since independence from France in 1962. International human rights groups have accused the army of committing serious abuses in its fight against the rebels such as extra-judicial killings, disappearances and torture. The authorities have replied that any abuses were carried out by individuals acting out of personal motives. Then Chief of Staff Mohamed Lamari acknowledged at a news conference in July 2002 that the army had intervened in politics after the 1991 election to "safeguard the republic" from a "totalitarian theocratic regime" -- a reference to FIS plans to build Islamic rule. But he said the army had then returned to its constitutional role, a reference to its task of defending the country. Observers believe that the army will continue to oppose any attempt by Islamists to establish a hardline Islamic state. Kebir, who these days calls for pluralist democracy, said he now saw the army as a safeguard of reform. "It (the army) is a constitutional institution, and it is the backbone of any country. It is a respectable institution, particularly during a transitory period as it is the case for Algeria. Democracy is a work in progress in Algeria, and the army represents a guarantee that we will not be derailed from our goal to set up a democracy in Algeria." "I learned a lot from the west, particularly from Germany where I lived for over a decade. I learned how honest they were about implementing democracy. Elections are really free and fair, the party that gets the majority is the party that leads the country, the party that gets the minority continues to have a political activity."
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