ALGIERS: Algeria is proposing an initiative to resolve the political crisis in neighboring Niger with a six-month transition period led by a civilian, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said on Tuesday.
Attaf, who recently toured West African states, said “most of the countries we have talked to are against military intervention to end the crisis.”
West African army chiefs from the regional ECOWAS bloc met in Ghana last week to discuss a possible military intervention in Niger after members of its presidential guard seized power last month and established a junta.
Algeria has repeatedly said it was against military intervention, pointing to the chaos that followed NATO action in Libya in 2011 during its uprising against longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.
Algerian officials have spoken three times since the coup to the Niger military leader, who wants a transitional period of up to three years, Attaf said.
As part of its initiative, Algeria would seek a United Nations conference to restore constitutional order, propose guarantees for all sides in the crisis and host a conference on development in the Sahel region, it said without elaborating.
Last week Algerian state television said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had denied permission to France for a possible military operation in Niger, but France denied it had sought any such permission. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alex Richardson)
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Algeria proposes transition to resolve Niger crisis
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Algeria proposes transition to resolve Niger crisis
- Algerian officials have spoken three times since the coup to the Niger military leader, who wants a transitional period of up to three years
Trump says Netanyahu should be pardoned for corruption
- Under Israeli law, the president has the authority to pardon convicts
- Trump has publicly urged the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu several times
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should receive a pardon for corruption charges, saying Israeli President Isaac Herzog should be “ashamed of himself” for not granting one.
Trump said Netanyahu has been a great wartime prime minister and that the Israeli people should shame Herzog for not pardoning him. “He’s disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it,” Trump said during a White House event.
Netanyahu met Trump in Washington on Wednesday — the seventh meeting between the two leaders since Trump took office last year — for talks about reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missiles.
Netanyahu is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime and denies bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment.
Trump has publicly urged the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu several times, and said in late December that Herzog had told him the pardon was on its way. Herzog’s office was quick to dispute it.
Under Israeli law, the president has the authority to pardon convicts. But there is no precedent for issuing a pardon mid-trial.
In response to queries about Trump’s comment, Herzog’s office said Netanyahu’s request was under review at the Israeli Ministry of Justice for a legal opinion, and once that process was completed, Herzog would consider the request.
“Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law. Contrary to the impression created by President Trump’s remarks, President Herzog has not yet made any decision on this matter,” Herzog’s office said.
Trump said Netanyahu has been a great wartime prime minister and that the Israeli people should shame Herzog for not pardoning him. “He’s disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it,” Trump said during a White House event.
Netanyahu met Trump in Washington on Wednesday — the seventh meeting between the two leaders since Trump took office last year — for talks about reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missiles.
Netanyahu is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime and denies bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment.
Trump has publicly urged the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu several times, and said in late December that Herzog had told him the pardon was on its way. Herzog’s office was quick to dispute it.
Under Israeli law, the president has the authority to pardon convicts. But there is no precedent for issuing a pardon mid-trial.
In response to queries about Trump’s comment, Herzog’s office said Netanyahu’s request was under review at the Israeli Ministry of Justice for a legal opinion, and once that process was completed, Herzog would consider the request.
“Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law. Contrary to the impression created by President Trump’s remarks, President Herzog has not yet made any decision on this matter,” Herzog’s office said.
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