Bouguerra Soltani is standing by his condemnation of the Algerian government Leader of the Algerian Islamist Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Bouguerra Soltani has responded strongly to accusations directed at him by Louisa Hanoune, leader of the Workers' Party, who said that Soltani is aiming to be "Morsi of Algeria," by inciting a US-backed rebellion against the country's ruling regime.
Speaking to Arabstoday, Bougeurra said he was not surprised by Hanoune's comment, describing her as "a Trotskyist who has been offending Islamists for 25 years."
Hanoune's comments came in response to a statement issued by the National Front [a 12-party coalition of the Algerian opposition including the MSP] lashing out at the government's decision to allow French military aircraft to fly over Algerian airspace during a military operation aimed at crashing armed Islamist groups in northern Mali. Hanoune attacked the MSP and firmly defended the Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
"I'm just wondering why she considered the National Front's statement offensive to President Bouteflika, although he was not even criticised in it," said Bouguerra.
"She has to realise the difference between the statement and some personal comments of the National Front members. I'm responsible only for the statement which I have signed, not for the comments of other politicians," he added.
As for the comparison between him and the Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Bouguerra stressed Hanoune had no right to refer to Morsi as a US-backed plotter because "he was elected as president through a democratic election and a true popular will for change."
Bouguerra fired back at the Workers' Party leader, accusing her of turning her party into "a private property" of hers.
In her comments, Hanoune launched a fierce attack against Algeria's Islamists, insisting "they have no future in the country," because "the Algerians had a tragic experience with them in the nineties." She stressed that the Islamists had no right to criticise the Algerian government's decision to allow French aircraft to fly through Algeria's airspace during the French military campaign against the Islamist rebels in North Mali. "That is a sovereign decision related to the country's security," she said.
On the other hand, Soltani said that the Islamist parties will keep working to achieve the goal of building a democratic state in Algeria which is compatible with Islamist principles, just as "Hanoune has the right to work towards a communist state."