Saudi Arabia: 20 high commissioners of the Ministry of the foreign Affairs expelled

Taken in charge by the social welfare of the foreign Affairs for the achievement of the pilgrimage.

The Saudi authorities expelled, last week, more than twenty high commissioners of the ministry of the foreign business who came with the Algerian delegation toward the holy places for the achievement of the pilgrimage. The high commissioners have been taken in charge by the services of the social welfare of the Ministry of the foreign Affairs.

According to sources closer to the Algerian delegation to the holy places, the Saudi royal authorities expelled, last Wednesday, more than 20 high commissioners of the ministry of the Algerian foreign Affairs, forcing them to return back home, without coordination neither with the services of the embassy nor with those of the Algerian delegation, nor even with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who should normally be informed in such situations.

Several of these diplomats have even been humiliated in a way far from all diplomatic protocols, although they only wanted to accomplish the pilgrimage in Mecca. These diplomats have been obliged to go back home on the same plane from Saudi Arabia Wednesday night. They were psychologically dejected because of the humiliation which they received. Nevertheless, and according to these same sources, the foreign business ministry has undertaken contacts with the embassy of Saudi Arabia for the immediate rehabilitation these diplomats and the restitution of their passports so that they are allowed to join the delegation as soon as possible in the holy places in order to accomplish their pilgrimage. The embassy of Saudi Arabia has, in a first time, refused to deliver more than 500 visas demanded by official institutions and a number of high Algerian personalities such as the Chief of Staff in the ministry of foreign affairs, Abdelmadjid Bouguerra, and the minister delegate of an important ministry, in addition to a high political personality on the head of one of the biggest institution of the state. However, they delivered some visas to private institutions and companies, putting by there the Algerian authorities in a bothersome situation, essentially before their friends and their families.

On the other hand, the embassy of Saudi Arabia was flooded by the big number of visas demands that they could not satisfy, also, particularly with the inability to contain the number of hadjis because of the expansion works made in the holy places in Mecca after the demolition of the adjacent building for the realization of the biggest project of expansion of these places.

The sources of ‘Ennahar’ add that the majority of demands, although they were individually established, they emanated from the official institutions, which were given official seal, and the refusal of the Saudi consular services to answer after the humiliation of the Algerian state, especially that it happened without being known by the President of Republic, chief of the Algerian diplomacy who will never accept similar situation. Situation that provoked an enormous hindrance for the state and for its men, especially as it intervenes at one period where the director of protocols in the foreign affairs ministry is under judicial control in Paris, which has already caused a lot of annoyances to the Algerian diplomacy.