ALGIERS, May 8, 2012 (AFP)
Algeria’s president said Tuesday on the anniversary of a massacre by French troops that only an “objective reading of history” would allow Paris and Algiers to overcome their painful past.
On May 8, 1945, when Algeria was under colonial rule, French soldiers shot dead thousands of people in the eastern town of Setif as celebrations over the Nazi surrender turned into a pro-independence rally.
Algeria has consistently claimed that 45,000 people were killed, although most French estimations put the toll lower.
“Only an objective reading of history, far from the wars of memory … will enable the two parties to overcome the fallout from a painful past,” Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said in Setif at a memorial event.
He said Paris and Algiers could ultimately enjoy a relationship driven by “confidence, understanding and mutual respect.”
In what was considered a groundbreaking remark, France’s ambassador to Algiers in 2005, Hubert Colin de Verdiere, visited Setif and called the massacre an “inexcusable tragedy.
Algeria holds legislative elections on Thursday and will in July mark 50 years of independence from France.
Bouteflika’s ruling National Liberation Front (FNL) party, which was the main organ in the long and bloody independence struggle, is widely expected to win the May 10 polls, although internal party divisions have become increasingly difficult to conceal.
The FNL’s support is dwindling and many analysts believe voter turnout will plunge to unprecedented lows as Algerians have lost faith in the credibility of politicians and the electoral process.
Bouteflika sought to boost voter enthusiasm during his Setif speech, claiming there were “credible candidates” with “new approaches and serious programmes,” on the ballot, the official APS news agency reported.
Only 35 percent of Algeria’s electorate cast a ballot in 2007 and the FNL has said it would be satisfied with 45 percent participation this time, although few doubt it will achieve that level.
