‘N. African base for Russians?’ from The Guardian (4 December 1967)
Caption: On 4 December 1967, as debates are held in the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) on
the question of Mediterranean defence and following France’s withdrawal from the integrated military
command of the Atlantic Alliance, the British daily newspaper The Guardian speculates on the future of the
former French military bases on Algerian soil and expresses concern over Soviet military aid to Algeria.
Source: "N. African base for Russians?" from The Guardian. London: Guardian Newspapers. 04.12.1967, p.9.
Copyright: (c) Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd
URL:
http://www.cvce.eu/obj/n_african_base_for_russians_from_the_guardian_4_decem
ber_1967-en-f4368c3d-6e85-4c0d-8d8d-17bef6a7dc11.html
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base for
Russians?
From o u r ow n C orresp on den t
P a r is , D e c e m b e r 3
T h e r e j e c t io n o f th e A t la n t ic
a llia n c e
i m p lie d
m
th e
a n n o u n c e m e n t th is w e e k o f
F r a n c e ’s a d o p t io n o f w h a t is
in e f f e c t a n a n a r c h ic d e f e n c e
p o li c y g iv e s a f r e s h d im e n s io n
to
th e m e e t in g
of
th e
A s s e m b ly o f W e s t e r n E u r o p e a n
U n io n w h ic h
opens
h ere
to m orrow .
N otab ly , it adds p o in t to the
m em ora nd um on th e d e fe n ce o f
th e M ed iterra n ea n an d N A T O 's
S ou th ern flank to b e sub m itted
tom orrow b y M r F ran s G oedh art
^ —^ S ^ HMerselKebirl ^
Oujda
F
j
\
tocco)
^
i-
0
(N e th e rla n d s), ra p p orteu r o f the
com m itte e f o r d e fe n ce an d arm a­
m ents. Its th em e is th e con sta nt
a nd in crea sin g Russian p resen ce
in the M editerranean.
M r G oedh art, w ritin g b e fo re
th e p u blication o f th e a rticle in
w h ich
G eneral
A ille r e t,
th e
F r e n ch C h ie f o f Staff, sa id that
F ra n ce
m ust
b u ild
up
h er
d e fe n ce u n h am p ered b y an y ties
w ith an allian ce, and in the
k n ow le d ge o f severa l statem en ts
by m em bers o f
the
F ren ch
G ov ern m en t th at it d id n ot plan
to lea ve th e allia n ce , suggests
th at it is " n o t e v e n co m p le te ly
cle a r that F r a n ce w o u ld fight
a lo n g sid e its a llie s in th e even t
o f an East-W est con flic t.”
M y s t e r io u s
A ls o h e finds it “ m y ste r io u s ”
th at F ran ce h ad d e c id e d to
eva cu ate its nav al ba se o f M ersel-K 6b ir and han d i t o v e r to
A lg e r ia b y F eb ru a ry sin ce th e
Evia n a greem en ts o f 1962 allow
it to retain th e base u n til 1975.
In
O ctober,
th e
F ren ch
A m ba ssa d or in A lg e ria , M. de
Leu sse, sa id h is G ov ern m en t had
tak en its d e cision beca u se F rench
p o lic y was t o r e g ro u p bases and
M ers-el-K 6bir w as n o lo n g e r a
stra tegic base. I t h ad “ b ecom e
u s e le s s " and cost a g re a t deal
o f m on ey. In fa c t it is the most
up-to-date and b est eq u ip ped
n aval base in th e M editerranean
area, w h ich , even i f it n o lo n g e i
h as any gre a t stra tegic valu e fo r
Fran ce, is o f co n sid e ra b le va lu e
to th e allia n ce as a w h o le o r to
a p oten tia l enem y, b eca u se o f its
k e y 'p o s itio n .
T h e F r e n ch G overn m en t is to
retain u n til 1975 th e use o f the
a ir b a se at Bo u -S fer, but has
a lrea d y h a n d ed o v e r to th e
A lg eria n G overn m en t th e biases
o f C olom b-B ech ar an d Hammagu ir. M r G oed h a rt b e lie v e s it 1o
b e “ fa r fr o m im p ossib le * that
the A lg e ria n G overn m ent, pa r­
ticu la rly in v ie w o f its in crea sed
d e p e n d e n ce
on
Russia— m ight
m ake M ers-el-K 6bir ava ila ble to
th e S ovie t M ed iterra n ea n F le e i.
H e assersts th at sin c e th e
Israel-Egypt w ar, R u ssia , w ho
was alrea d y g iv in g m ilita ry "aid
to A lg e ria , has flow n in la rg e
n um bers o f M iG fig h ters and
h e lp e d C o lo n e l B ou m 6 d ie n n e to
b u ild u p th e arm am ents o f his
la n d f o r c e s ; th e y h a v e a ccom ­
pa n ie d the se n e w w ea pon s w ith
m ilita ry in stru ctors and te ch ­
n ical advisers.
M r G oe dh art
q u otes a re p o rt that the A lg e ria n
A ir
F orce
is
b e in g
tr ain ed
n e ith e r in F re n ch n o r in A ra b ic
b u t in Russian .
In
th ese
circu m sta n ce s, h e
b e lie v e s
that
ii
th e
S ov ie t
G overn m en t w e re to seek the
u se o f M ers-el-K ^bir f o r its
M ed iterran ean F le et, it w ou ld b e
d ifficu lt
fo r
C o lo n e l
Boum €dien n e to re fu se su ch a requ est.
I f it d id in d e e d b e co m e a S ov iet
base, it w ou ld m ea n that, w ith in
a sh o rt tim e, Russia w ou ld hav e
b u ilt u p n ot on ly a p erm a n en t
fleet in th e M ed iterranean b ut
a grou p o f bases at b oth ends o f
it to p r o v id e all th e fa c ilitie s its
w arships n ee d ed.
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