Boualem Bessaïh
Boualem Bessaïh (1930 – July 28, 2016) was an Algerian politician and writer. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria from 1988 to 1989 and President of the Constitutional Council from 2005 to 2012. He was a professor of letters and human sciences at the University of Algiers. Career Born in 1930 in El Bayadh, he joined the maquis in early 1957 and occupied important functions in the ranks of the armed revolution. He was among the founders of the Algerian secret services, led the section of espionage based in Tripoli, and was a member of the general secretariat of the National Council of the Algerian Revolution from 1959 to 1962. After independence, he served as ambassador in several European and Arab capitals (Bern, the Vatican, Cairo, Kuwait City, Rabat). In 1971, he was appointed as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1979, he joined the government and held several ministerial positions. He was appointed successively as Minister of Information, Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Minister of Culture, and ultimately as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1989. As such, he participated actively in the tripartite Algeria - Morocco - Saudi Arabia, decided by the Arab