ABSTRACT

The decision to organize a visit of the French minister for foreign affairs to Algiers was taken during the Autumn of 1992. In line with de la Gorce, it may be suggested that clearer support to Algiers as from January 1993 derived from a reassessment of the Algerian crisis and of the power struggle taking place in Algeria. In Algiers, Roland Dumas had affirmed that it was 'normal that, in a period such as this, friendship be expressed otherwise than just with words'. The change in Ambassadors to Algiers may also have played a role in the redefinition of French policy. The change in French Ambassadors may also have played a role to the extent that the new Ambassador wished to start his mandate on a friendly footing with Algiers. The new Ambassador to Algiers, Bernard Kessedjian, had taken his position in late September 1992 with the aim of improving the troubled relations.