CAIRO — France, amid threats by Al Qaida, has appealed to its
expatriate community to remain in Algeria.
French ambassador to Algiers, Bernard Bajolet, has urged French
nationals to remain in their jobs in Algeria despite threats of attack by Al
Qaida. Bajolet stressed that the security situation in the North African
state remained tolerable, Middle East Newsline reported.
The appeal by the ambassador came amid the flight of French dependents
from Algeria, sparked by a series of Al Qaida strikes in 2007. In September,
at least two French nationals were injured in an Al Qaida bombing.
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But Bajolet said his government would not order the evacuation of French
nationals amid Al Qaida's new policy of suicide bombings. He urged French
executives, investors and others in Algeria to enhance their presence in an
effort to bolster Paris' interests in the region.
Over the last month, France's Michelin ordered a withdrawal of employee
dependents based in Algiers. Michelin, which reopened in 2003 after a
10-year absence, provides jobs to 1,000 Algerians. Executives said the tire
plant would remain open despite the Al Qaida threat.
Still, French investors were hesitating to launch major projects in
Algeria. The French Business Confederation has decided to postpone its visit
to Algiers, scheduled for Nov. 12-14. The group, which drafted a memorandum
on investment challenges in the North African state, said it would await the
visit to Algeria by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in December 2007.
"The visit by the employers delegation to Algeria was deliberately
postponed to benefit from the expected wind of change in the bilateral
relationship between Algeria and France following Sarkozy's visit," Thierry
Courtaign, the group's vice president, said.