ALGIERS- The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra, on Sunday paid a “vibrant” tribute to the former President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died on Friday evening.
On his Twitter account, the Algerian foreign minister recalled “the important role and the diplomatic successes of the former president, in particular his presidency of the 29th session of the United Nations General Assembly”.
“May Allah grant His Holy Mercy to Abdelaziz Bouteflika, whose death coincides with the opening of the session of the United Nations General Assembly, which reminds us of his important role and his diplomatic successes, especially during his presidency of the 29th session. He has become part of the history of his (Algerian) people and of the international community. Our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. We belong to Allah and to Him we should return, ”he wrote.
Former President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died Friday night at the age of 84, was buried today, Sunday, at 1 p.m. in the Martyrs’ Square in El-Alia cemetery.
To this end, President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered flags to be flown at half-mast throughout the country for three days, starting from Saturday, according to a communiqué issued, Saturday, by the Presidency of the Republic.
The late Bouteflika, a veteran of Algeria’s war for independence, had ruled Algeria for two decades before his resignation in April 2019.
He joined the independence war against France at the age of 19 as a protege of commander Boumediene, who became president in 1965.
After Algeria’s independence from France in 1962, Bouteflika became minister of youth and tourism at the age of 25. The following year, he became Algeria’s second foreign minister and the youngest person in the world to hold such a position.
The deceased was an influential figure in the Non-Aligned Movement that gave a global voice to Africa, Asia and Latin America.
As a president of the U.N. General Assembly, Bouteflika invited former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to address the body in 1974, a historic step toward international recognition of the Palestinian cause.
He, also, demanded that China be given a seat in the United Nations, and railed against apartheid rule in South Africa.
He championed post-colonial states, challenging the hegemony of the United States.
He also welcomed Che Guevara, and a young Nelson Mandela got his first training in Algeria. Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver, on the run from U.S. police, was given refuge.
Elected president in 1999, he launched a national reconciliation process allowing the country to restore peace.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, a few weeks before the end of his term of office on April 28.
La Patrie News
