Witnesses recount the atmosphere, often tense, of the negotiations between Algerians and French, between 1961 and 1962, which were to lead to the independence of Algeria
Negotiations between French and Algerians in Evian (central-eastern France) were marred by moments of tension and misunderstandings before reaching the agreements that ended the Algerian war 60 years ago, according to testimonials to AFP.
At the end of these negotiations, the French representatives and the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA) had signed, on March 18, 1962, the so-called Evian agreements, opening the way to the independence of Algeria after more seven years of war and 132 years of colonization.
As soon as it declared the “War of Liberation” on November 1 , 1954, the National Liberation Front ( FLN ) said it was ready to negotiate with the French authorities, but it was not until January 1961 that direct negotiations began between France and the GPRA. They will last 18 months, mostly in secret.
They began with the GPRA’s representative in Italy, Tayeb Boulahrouf, asking Italian President Giovanni Gronchi, the Prime Minister, Giorgio La Pira, and the influential boss of the Eni oil group, Enrico Mattei, to poll the French president on his intentions.
Through the Italians, Mr. Boulahrouf obtains “confirmation that General de Gaulle is in the state of mind to negotiate with ”the rebellion””, told his son Jalil to AFP.
The very tense atmosphere at the start of the negotiations eases as the negotiators get to know each other.
According to an anecdote told by Tayeb Boulahrouf to his son, during the discussions in Lucerne which preceded those in Evian in 1961, Georges Pompidou, de Gaulle’s confidant, entered “cigarette in beak” when it was Ramadan.
“He put out his cigarette out of respect, but my father told him that he could smoke at his ease, because Islam being an extremely tolerant religion, that posed no problem”.
Amar Mohand-Amer, the Algerian historian and resident at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Nantes, underlines to AFP that “in recent months, the GPRA and the French government have been in positive logic, that of quickly achieving a compromise “. Even if it was sometimes necessary to clear up misunderstandings.
Thus, at one point, Lakhdar Bentobal, one of the Algerian negotiators, had to call to order the head of the French delegation who was addressing the GPRA by saying to them “you on the other side of the table”, on the grounds that France recognized neither the GPRA nor the FLN.
To encourage him to show more respect, Bentobal drew a parallel with “certain Algerian men who never mention the name of their wife, even when they address her directly”.
During the preparatory phase and the negotiations, the Algerian delegation was able to count on the support of Switzerland.
Part of the agreements were negotiated in a first phase near Geneva and the Algerian delegation was staying in a villa in Bois D’Avault, on the Swiss side of the border.
Thanks to Dr. Djillali Bentami, representative of the Algerian Red Crescent (CRA) in Switzerland, who had put him in contact with Rédha Malek , another Algerian negotiator, the photographer André Gazut was able to enter and take pictures.
During the preparatory phase and the negotiations, the Algerian delegation was able to count on the support of Switzerland.
The negotiators had “came to Switzerland from Tunis on a special Swissair flight which was instructed not to fly over France,” the photographer told AFP.
The property around the villa was guarded by the Swiss army “for fear of an operation by the OAS [French terrorist organization opposed to independence] against the negotiators”. “There was even flak [anti-aircraft] guns in case a small plane appeared near the property,” Gazut said.
The famous photographer Raymond Depardon told the Algerian daily Liberté in December how the Algerian delegation he had followed was “impressed by its relaxation and the very elegant dress of its members” who were “young people aged 30-40”.
“It contrasted with the image we had of the FLN in the maquis, in military uniform,” he said.
