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• Opening of two new American Corners in Constantine and Oran

From right to left: Prof. Abdelhamid Djekoun, Rector of the University of Constantine, Cultural Affairs Officer Valerie Wheat, and Abdellah Boukhalkhal, Rector of Emir Abdelkader University The U.S. Ambassador  Ford  and the Rector of University of Oran,   Dr.  Larbi  Chahed

On June 15 and 16, U.S.Ambassador Robert Ford, along with the Rectors of the Mentouri University of Constantine and the University of Oran, presided over the inauguration ceremonies of two new American Corners in the Eastern and Western capitals of Algeria. Established in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Universities of Constantine and Oran, the American Corners allow Algerians to access materials in English, French, and Arabic on amultitude of subjects: history, politics, commerce, media, science, and education, as well as English language study tools. 
The American Corners also house computers with internet access and offer a wide selection of CD-ROMs for research purposes. Their audio-visual equipment allows visitors to take part in movie and documentary viewings.  The American Corners will make it possible for the public in Constantine and Oran to better understand the United States, its people, its culture, its history, and its society. They are open to the general public during the regular hours of each University’s library. In partnership with the Universities of Constantine and Oran, the American Corners will host a variety of cultural events and activities, including film discussions, seminars, and training for English language instructors. Algeria is the only country in the world to benefit from the opening of a new American Corner this year.  The opening of not only one, but two American Corners in Algeria in June 2008 demonstrates the importance accorded by the U.S. government to Algeria and to the education of its youth.  There is also already an American Corner at the National Library in Algiers, open since 2005

 

• Inauguration of the new Embassy of the United States in Algiers

New  Embassy Compound Ribbon cutting Ceremony

 

Ambassador Robert S. Ford presided over the inauguration ceremony of the new Embassy of the United States of America in Algiers, the morning of May 20, 2008. Government officials, members of various diplomatic missions accredited in Algeria, and representatives of civil society and the media shared in this joyous occasion with the American and Algerian employees of the Embassy. After three years of construction, a modern building meeting the highest standards and incorporating Moresque architectural details has been unveiled as a symbol of partnership between the U.S. and Algeria. The cost of building the new Embassy Chancery was $91 million, $21 million of which was directly injected into the Algerian economy.  The new Embassy building is not only a workplace for more than 300 Algerian and American employees, but also a symbol of American commitment to a permanent presence in Algeria and proof of the strength of the bilateral relations between our two countries.

 (Secretary of State's Speech) - (Ambassador's Speech)

 

 

• Ambassador Ford Commemorates World Press Freedom Day

The U.S. Ambassador  Ford Commemorates World Press Freedom Day

The U.S. Embassy in Algiers, in conjunction with the National Syndicate of Journalists (SNJ), participated in the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day with a seminar organized in cooperation with MEPI on Tuesday, May 1st, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel in Algiers. The seminar entitled “Journalistic practice between violation of press laws and the challenge of self regulation” gathered imminent lawyers and experts in information law, human rights activists, editors, journalists, and the coordinator of the International Federation of Journalists in Algiers. Ambassador Robert S. Ford, through his participation in the celebration of this symbolic date, illustrated the U.S. commitment to the advancement of an independent, responsible and professional press in Algeria. In his speech delivered at the seminar, Ambassador Ford took the opportunity to praise the progress made towards greater freedom of the press in Algeria over the past decade, but he also highlighted the necessity for Algerian journalists to raise their professional standards and resist the tendency towards self-censorship. Moreover, Ambassador Ford expressed the concerns of the U.S. and of the international community over the use of prison sentences by the Algerian judiciary as a penalty for defamation. Ambassador Ford highlighted the United States’ continuing efforts to assist the Algerian press through concrete initiatives geared towards journalists and editors, such as the MEPI funded Journalism Development Group (JDG), the “Edward R. Murrow International Visitor Program” which allows journalists to spend three weeks in the U.S. to examine the rights and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy,  and various other Speakers Programs and Digital Video Conferences on topics relating to the press.  Since 2001, almost a dozen Algerian journalists each year benefit from training and exchange programs in the U.S.