ALGERIA: France's President Francois Hollande says French colonisation of Algeria was 'brutal'

Record ID: 574136

  • Title: ALGERIA: France's President Francois Hollande says French colonisation of Algeria was 'brutal'
  • Date: 20th December 2012
  • Summary: ALGIERS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 20, 2012) (REUTERS) FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE ALGERIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER MOURAD MEDELCI SAT IN PARLIAMENT HOLLANDE DURING SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, SAYING: "For 132 years, Algeria was under a system which was profoundly unjust and brutal. (Applause) This system has a name, it's colonisation. And I acknowledge here the sufferings that colonisation has inflicted on the Algerian people. (Applause) Amongst those sufferings were the massacres of Setif, of Guelma, of Kherrata, which I know are still rooted in the Algerians' conscience, but also in that of the French." HOLLANDE DURING SPEECH MEMBERS OF ALGERIAN PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, SAYING: "To know and to establish the truth is an obligation and it unites the Algerians and the French and that's why it is necessary that historians have access to the archives and that a cooperation in this domain is engaged, pursued and that, gradually, this truth can be known by all." MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, SAYING: "I am not here on business, I come here, in front of you, to mark a new beginning. But at the same time, 450 companies, large groups but also middle sized companies, employ 40,000 people in Algeria, up to 100,000 when you take into account indirect jobs, we can do more. France is the first investor in Algeria, I'm pleased about that but we can do even better." VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, SAYING: "Yesterday, Renault has signed an important deal to produce in your country a car for the local but also regional market and even international. This is not relocation, there are no French companies coming to your country at the expense of French employment. It's a company, Renault; which comes to build cars and create more jobs in Algeria and more jobs in France. This is the best deal." AUDIENCE STANDING AND CLAPPING HOLLANDE SHAKING HANDS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT HOLLANDE GOING BACK TO HIS SEAT
  • Embargoed: 4th January 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Algeria
  • Country: Algeria
  • Topics: International Relations,History,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5GWHMQEVUTNKMQ71T2O7ZDCJ8
  • Story Text: President Francois Hollande acknowledged on Thursday (December 20) France's colonisation of Algeria had been "brutal and unfair" but he stopped short of an apology to the oil-rich North African state that Paris sees as a major trading partner.
    Hollande's comments on the 1954-1962 Algerian war, which ended in Algerian independence and France's withdrawal, are likely to be carefully analysed for signs they could help remove lingering resentment about the conflict in both countries, a legacy that has held back a trading partnership which Paris hopes could revive the Mediterranean basin's economic fortunes.

    "For 132 years, Algeria was under a system which was profoundly unjust and brutal. This system has a name, it's colonisation. And I acknowledge here the sufferings that colonisation has inflicted on the Algerian people. Amongst those sufferings were the massacres of Setif, of Guelma, of Kherrata, which I know are still rooted in the Algerians' conscience, but also in that of the French," Hollande told the an applauding Algerian parliament on the second day of his visit.
    Seeking to strike a more conciliatory stance than his conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy whom Algerians viewed as overly hostile towards their country because of what they regarded as his tough immigration policies, Hollande tried to take a nuanced approach.

    "To know and to establish the truth is an obligation and it unites the Algerians and the French and that's why it is necessary that historians have access to the archives and that a cooperation in this domain is engaged, pursued and that, gradually, this truth can be known by all," he said.
    The speech came a day after Hollande was greeted by thousands of cheering Algerians on arrival in the Algerian capital. He called for an equal partnership between the two states but said he had not come "to repent or apologise".
    With France's own economy spluttering, Hollande had hoped his visit would not only strengthen trade ties but improve security cooperation, as Paris pushes for intervention against Islamists who have seized control of northern Mali.
    Algeria, which has 12 billion barrels of oil reserves, is geographically the world's largest Francophone nation, yet annual trade with its one-time colonial master is just 10 billion euros.
    Hollande said he wanted to make it easier for Algerians and French to travel between the two countries but also to strengthen the commercial relationship between the two countries.

    "I am not here on business, I come here, in front of you, to mark a new beginning. But at the same time, 450 companies, large groups but also middle sized companies, employ 40,000 people in Algeria, up to 100,000 when you take into account indirect jobs, we can do more. France is the first investor in Algeria, I'm pleased about that but we can do even better," he said.
    Hollande, who brought with him senior executives from some of France's top firms, said Renault had agreed to build a factory to produce some 75,000 cars a year, although no other major contracts were signed during the visit.

    "Yesterday, Renault has signed an important deal to produce in your country a car for the local but also regional market and even international. This is not a relocation, there are no French companies coming to your country at the expense of French employment. It's a company, Renault, which comes to build cars and create more jobs in Algeria and more jobs in France. This is the best deal," Hollande said.
    As Algiers has diversified its economy, China, Spain and Italy have eroded France's market share.
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