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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Focus Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Breaking taboos -- again
By Amira HoweidyWinding up a four-day visit to France, Algerian President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika on Saturday made a plea to France's Algerian community to support his bid to stamp out violence in his country.
Deploying his vast stores of wit and eloquence, the Algerian president wooed potential French investors and made dramatic statements about France's "blood debt" to its former colony. He also indicated that he would try to forge peaceful relations between his country and Israel.
As a result, Bouteflika obtained a promise from France, the largest claimant on Algeria's total foreign debt of some $28 billion, to ask Algeria's creditor states in the Paris Club to facilitate the investment of 400 million francs ($58 million) in Algeria in return for Algeria's continued pledge to pay its debts.
But the apology sought by Bouteflika for France's occupation was not forthcoming and France did not commit itself to giving Algeria aid to repair its shattered economy. Moreover, Bouteflika's request to purchase advanced arms from France was rejected flat out.
In Algiers, observers suggested that Bouteflika's energies would have been better spent on the home front. "Instead of concentrating his efforts on solving the extremely complicated political and economic problems in Algeria, the president is more concerned about reinvigorating foreign relations," an Algerian analyst who requested anonymity told Al-Ahram Weekly by telephone from Algiers.
But even as he attempted to focus on foreign relations, Bouteflika was dogged by domestic issues, most notably when he was confronted by relatives of missing Algerians and their supporters who called for investigations into the 8-years of violence resulting from the conflict between Islamist militants and Algerian security forces.
More than 100,000 Algerians have been killed since 1992 when the army cancelled elections that the now banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) was poised to win. Moreover, approximately 10,000 remain "missing," according to Bouteflika.
With foreign investment high on his list of priorities, Bouteflika had to muster all his eloquence in trying to attract money from France. Addressing French business leaders, he emphasised his commitment to privatisation and cutting red tape and even joked about prospects of investing being brighter for foreigners. "I'd advise you to invest as a Frenchman and not as an Algerian," he told one French entrepreneur of Algerian origin. "That way, you can get some guarantees. We won't be able to play any tricks on you."
Bouteflika said the Algerian economy had recorded five per cent growth and two per cent inflation last year. But the question of debt, which requires nearly half of Algeria's revenues to service, overshadowed talk of boosting trade with France, Algeria's biggest trading partner. Algiers had a $1.4 billion deficit in trade with France last year.
Along with agreeing to support Algeria in the Paris Club discussions, France also pledged to promote closer economic cooperation by extending special financing arrangements that it already gives to Morocco, Tunisia and Vietnam.
Bouteflika's visit to France, along with a trip to Algeria by a large group of French business leaders earlier this year have, so far, failed to increase foreign investment significantly. Investors' concerns are surely not put to rest by the protracted standoff between Air France and the Algerian government over the airline's refusal to resume service to Algeria-- halted following a 1994 hijacking-- unless it is allowed to deploy its own security personnel in Algeria.
Talks on military cooperation failed to yield the results desired by Bouteflika as French President Jacques Chirac stated that his country was not ready to sell advanced weapons to Algeria. The cooperation France was ready to extend is confined to naval cooperation, specifically maritime security, as well as the training of Algerian military personnel in judicial and humanitarian issues, including legal training for para-military police officers. It is noteworthy however that Franco-Algerian military contacts have been stepped up this year, a development which diplomats see as partly motivated by growing United States interest in the North African country.
Defence Secretary William Cohen stated last February that Washington planned to expand military cooperation with Algiers. The US Sixth Fleet held a joint exercise with Algerian naval units in early May. In the same month, Paris dispatched a senior official to Algiers to discuss military cooperation and sent its Mediterranean zone naval commander there in late May.
But it was Bouteflika's meeting with the French Jewish leader Henri Hajdenberg that sparked utmost controversy back home. To observers however, this meeting which made a good impression on Hajdenberg, should not have come as a surprise. The Algerian president and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak shook hands for the first time last summer during the funeral of Morocco's King Hassan. Although, at the time of the hand-shake, Bouteflika downplayed its significance, Hajdenberg said last week that the Algerian president assured him it was a significant encounter. Hajdenberg said that during his meeting with Bouteflika, which lasted for over an hour, the Algerian president indicated he was ready to recognise Israel and would forge official relations once there is peace in the Middle East.
Since he took office following controversial presidential elections last year, Bouteflika has tried to build his image as a bold leader, ready to "break taboos." But what the Algerians view as "taboos" such as the FIS, the role of the army, and cleaning up corruption in the government, remained untouched. "Despite reservations from nationalists, Bouteflika's tackling the Israeli taboo will only be viewed optimistically if he follows it with really bold policies that serve Algeria internally," said the analyst."
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