Algeria downgrades role at Arab League summit

For the first time, Algeria plans to send a representative below the rank of foreign minister to an Arab League summit, reflecting its ongoing dissatisfaction with recent summit outcomes and what it considers the League’s weak political positions, The New Arab reported on May 12th.

According to government sources cited by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Arabic-language edition of The New Arab, Algeria has notified both the Arab League Secretariat and Iraq, the summit’s host, that Mohamed Soufiane Berrache, the country’s ambassador to Cairo and permanent League representative, will attend on behalf of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

The decision comes after a previously planned delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and Minister of Foreign Trade Kamel Rezig, was abruptly cancelled, with officials citing “domestic commitments” as the reason.

It will be the first instance in which Algeria takes part in an Arab League summit without sending a representative of at least foreign ministerial rank.

In the past few years, Algeria has generally been represented at Arab League summits by high-level officials such as the president, prime minister, as was the case in Riyadh in 2023, or the foreign minister, as seen in Bahrain in 2024.

Since hosting the 2022 Arab League summit, President Tebboune has been absent from all subsequent gatherings—both regular and emergency—including those in Riyadh, Bahrain, and the two held in Jeddah in November 2023.

Strains within the bloc were already visible ahead of the emergency summit held in Cairo this March, when Algeria expressed discontent over what it perceived as predetermined outcomes shaped by a limited number of member states, leaving little room for wider involvement.

While officials have not explicitly linked the decision to broader political concerns or a specific incident, Algeria’s recent diplomatic stance may reflect ongoing frustrations within the Arab League.

Tensions may have been further fueled by comments made in February by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein during a visit to Rabat, where he expressed backing for Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara—a particularly contentious issue for Algeria.

The upcoming Arab League summit is set to be held in Baghdad on May 17th.

The New Arab/ Al-Araby Al-Jadeed/ Maghrebi.org