Algeria adorns to embrace the Arab summit

Algiers took up a new campaign on the occasion of its celebration of the 31st session of the Arab Summit, on 1 and 2 November, which coincides with the 68th anniversary of the outbreak of the “First November Revolution.”

The month of October passed differently for the inhabitants of the Algerian capital, where work in the neighbourhoods and streets did not stop, amid a state of anticipation and public sense of the importance of the date.

Not usually in the autumn, Algeria today has a hot summer atmosphere, with a temperature exceeding 38 degrees Celsius, while weather experts predict a slight drop in the weather on the summit’s day.

It seems obvious how the Arab Summit changed the direction of many of Algeria’s main roads, especially those that will see participating delegations passing from Algiers International Airport, Huari Boumeddin, east, through the centre of the capital, Haidara and Ben Eknoun, to the municipality of Sharqa ‘a west.

The roads leading to Al-Sharqah have turned into a large garden decorated with roses and trees, the point where Algeria’s guests will meet with Arab leaders, who will meet for the first time at the International Convention Centre “Abdelatif Rahal”.

On the rehabilitation of roads, pavements and public utilities, in which hundreds of workers participated, the Director-General of the Foundation for the Maintenance of the Road and Disinfection Network of the State of Algiers, Saadoun, confirmed that “more than 2,600 workers have been assigned to the company in order to make this process a success”.

He added to Sky News Arabia: “We worked together with civil society, scouts and local associations, which play a distinct role in the process of cleansing neighbourhoods, in conjunction with the coming time of the Arab Summit, which we all seek as Algerians to succeed.”

In contrast, the entrance to the capital was decorated with objects representing the symbols of all Arab countries, similar to the Burj al-Arab and the pyramids, which were placed in the square opposite Algiers’ Great Mosque.

Flags of Arab States were spread everywhere, on lampposts and roads, with large phrases reading “Welcome to Arab siblings” and “Welcome to the guests of Algeria”.

Preparations were not limited to the level of infrastructure, but also to cultural and intellectual activities, with Algeria conducting more than 2,000 cultural activities to accompany the Arab Summit and commemorating the November 1 Revolution.

The Minister of Mujahideen and Rights, Eid Rabibah, said: “Algeria in the Arab world, history has deepened the challenges of the present and the prospects for the future. Therefore, a rich national programme has been prepared covering about two thousand events at the national level.”

Pupils will enter schools on a week-long holiday in order to ensure the highest level of comfort for the Arab Summit guests as they travel on the roads and to avoid any form of traffic congestion during the Summit.

On Wednesday, Algeria officially received the rotating presidency of the Arab summit, with the first meeting of the League’s Council at the level of permanent delegates and senior preparatory officials.

Observers stressed that “Algeria has thus made a significant step towards achieving the first goals it has set for the success of the Summit, despite the great challenges”.