FRANCE: FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN JACQUES RUMMELHARDT COMMENTS ON RESULT OF ALGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Record ID: 639702

  • Title: FRANCE: FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN JACQUES RUMMELHARDT COMMENTS ON RESULT OF ALGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
  • Date: 17th November 1995
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 17, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 0.04 2. SV FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN JACQUES RUMMELHARDT SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.13 3. CU MAP 1.19 4. GV NEWS CONFERENCE 1.28 SEQ.2: TRANSCRIPT; RUMMELHARDT: "FRANCE IS TAKING NOTE OF THE RESULTS OF ELECTION, SHE WISHES THESUCCESS OF THE HIGH MISSION THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO LIAMINE ZEROUAL, SHE WISHES THAT THIS ELECTION MIGHT PAVE THE WAY FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE AND COULD BE THE STARTING POINT OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, SO ALGERIA COULD DEVELOP CIVIL PEACE AND DEDICATE HERSELF TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL TASKS. FRANCE IS READY TO CONTINUE WITH ALGERIA ON RELATIONS BASED ON FRIENDSHIP AND CO-OPERATION." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 2nd December 1995 12:00
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  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • City:
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA4D49Y92M0KVR0KZF30XPBJ96O
  • Story Text: France said on Friday (November 17) it hoped the election of Liamine Zeroual as president of Algeria would lead to a political dialogue with the strife-torn country's opposition and to parliamentary elections.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Jacques Rummelhardt said France took note of Zeroual's victory and said France "hopes that this election opens the way to a political dialogue and marks the start of a democratic process leading to legislative elections".

    The Algerian authorities announced that Zeroual had won Thursday's election with 61.34 per cent of the vote on a turnout officially put at nearly 75 per cent, despite boycott calls by the main Islamic and secular opposition parties.

    The French statement said only through dialogue and general elections would Algeria "return to civil peace and be able to work towards economic and social recovery".

    It said France "expresses its wishes for the success of the lofty mission thus entrusted to Mr Zeroual" and would base its relationship with its former North African colony "on friendship and cooperation".

    An estimated 50,000 people have died in civil strife in Algeria since the army intervened in 1992 to cancel a general election which the Islamic Salvation Front was on the verge of winning.


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