Message from the Ambassador of Algeria to the United states, H.E. Idriss Jazairy

September 5, 2002 is the 207th Anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Algeria and the United States. This then is the birthday of our friendship.
The fight for freedom of the people of Algeria under the leadership of the Emir Abd El-Kader starting 1832 was a source of inspiration for the pioneers of Iowa who decided in 1845 to express their admiration for him by naming their city of El Kader (close to Cedar Rapids) after this great leader.

The multi-secular friendship between our two nations was dimmed but not obscured by 132 years of French colonial occupation against which the then Senator John Kennedy spoke out with great courage and foresight in July 1957. These bonds were further strengthened after Algeria recovered its sovereignty in July 1962. They are symbolized by the role Algeria played in obtaining in January 1981 the liberation of the 52 U.S. hostages held captive in Iran and by the alliance sealed by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria and President Bush on November 4, 2001 to jointly promote peace and combat terrorism.

Today, Algeria is the U.S.’s fourth largest trading partner in the Arab region and host to the third most important volume of U.S. investments in the region. With a production of oil and gas set to reach the barrel-of-oil equivalent of five million barrels a day in 2004, Algeria is Africa’s largest exporter and the world’s third largest exporter of natural gas. It is therefore able to play an important role in promoting the security of supply of the U.S. in energy already in the current decade.

Having the third largest gross national product in Africa, Algeria also offers a profitable market for U.S. exports and investments and ready access to Europe, to which it is tied by a Free Trade Agreement.
Of the institutions set up recently to promote trade and investment flows between the two nations, the most recent is the U.S.-Algeria Business Council, which is now starting its activities in Washington and has branches in Algiers and Hassi Messaoud (Southern Algeria). It has received the backing of an impressive list of major Algerian and U.S. corporations, which are aware of the business opportunities opened up by the increasingly close bilateral ties as well as by improvements in the security situation, by accelerated democratization and by the progress already achieved in economic reforms.