Quelle:Asharq al-Awsat

On June 26, the Saudi-owned, London-based Asharq al-Awsat daily newspaper carried the following report: “Once again, a media and political storm has erupted between Tunisia and Algeria when Algerian media outlets affiliated to the authorities accused Tunisia of establishing American military bases in its western and southern provinces, a step that the Algerian sources called “hostile.”

“The same sources announced that an Algerian decision has been taken to abstain from appointing a new ambassador in Tunisia as a way of “objecting” the “sudden” military rapprochement between Tunisia and the USA on one hand and the NATO on the other hand on the expense of the Tunisian-Algerian strategic coordination.

“This crisis comes at a time when Tunisia, the country with the limited military capacity, is relying on the support of its west side neighbor as it is confronting a whole bunch of security threats both on the internal and external levels including the proliferation of terrorism and smuggling, and the repercussions of the instability in the neighboring Libya, which has so far exported around one third of its population to Tunisia.

“Despite the several denials concerning the establishment of an American base in Tunisia issued by the U.S. ambassador to Tunisia, Jacob Walles, and several prominent Tunisian politicians such as Khamis al-Jahinawi, the diplomatic advisor of President Caid Essebsi, several Algerian media outlets close to the Authority are proceeding with their campaign against Tunisia such as the Al-Shorouq newspaper, which has been accusing Tunisia and publishing reports, maps, and proofs to the presence of the U.S. and NATO bases in Tunisia, which were said to be targeting “Algeria and Libya.”

“According to the same Algerian sources, this is about military bases or projects to establish such bases in the province of Medenine in the south, a province that is close to the Tunisian-Libyan-Algerian borders from the desert side in addition to the provinces of Al-Qasrayn and Jendouba in mid Tunisia and its north western part where confrontations have been ongoing for four years now between the terrorists and the Tunisian army and security forces.

“The sources provided further details by indicating that a number of military points have been established by the US, the NATO as well as the Africom forces, which are American forces bases in the German Stuttgart. Such NATO military points reportedly include “the border gates between Tunisia and Libya” in Bani Kardan, Ras al-Jadir, and Al-Zahabiya; as well as other points in the touristic region of Tabraka in the Tunisian north along the borders with Algeria…“

Asharq al-Awsat, United Kingdom