Algeria awaits the delivery of a U.S. shipment of
night-vision systems meant to help the North African country track Islamic
insurgents.
U.S. officials said the Bush administration has approved a shipment of
night-vision equipment to Algeria. They said an unidentified U.S. company
was granted permission to sell the systems to Algeria's security forces.
The shipment was approved after repeated requests by President Abdul
Aziz Bouteflika, the officials said. The officials did not disclose details
of the systems or how many would be sent.
"We permitted a U.S. company to sell to Algeria night vision devices for
use by the security forces," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher
said. "These night vision devices have not yet been delivered and I would
point out no exports of lethal equipment have been approved."
Officials said the night-vision systems are the most advanced equipment
approved by the United States for Algeria. So far, Washington has allowed
for the sale of ground control radar, tactical communications equipment,
Humvee military vehicles, light aircraft and spare parts for the C-130
military transport.
The request for the night-vision equipment was approved after
Bouteflika's visit to Washington in June. Officials said the Algerian
president said his country deserves U.S. help for fighting Islamic
insurgents linked to Al Qaida.
So far, the administration has not approved lethal equipment to Algiers,
which has been cited for human rights violations in the war against Islamic
insurgents. But officials did not rule out such a prospect over the next
year.
"This is a continuing process where we're willing to look at purchases,"
Boucher said. "But it is still case-by-case. It's still based on the same
criteria. They have talked to us about a possible purchase of a range of
equipment and we'd have to address each of those on a case-by-case basis."
Officials said Algeria would receive $550,000 in military aid for fiscal
2003. This represents more than double the aid allocated this year.
