ABSTRACT
During an interview in February 1978, Valery Giscard d'Estaing mentioned that the Evian Accords were anachronistic. Paris formally called for a re-evaluation of the French-Algerian relationship. The Algerian workers represented a painful legacy of French colonialism. Algerian planners envisioned a capital- rather than a labor-intensive economy qualifying future repatriations. The workers found themselves suspended as victims both of French capitalism and, ironically, Algerian socialism. The French government would provide low-interest loans for new enterprises in Algeria and the Algerian government would offer tax and customs concessions. The Algerians had in turn evolved toward a different indexing of "Saharan light" crude and seemed more flexible concerning transportation and re-gasification costs. From the Algerian perspective, the French market was secured, and the principle of parity, although not fully recognized, was respectfully considered and fulfilled satisfactorily. The Algerian government contended that France found it too expensive to implement.
