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Monday, October 22, 2007      New: Take a Stand

France urges nationals not to flee Algeria

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.

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