3-4 minutes
The French authorities are not cooperating sufficiently with Algeria on the memory issue. This was revealed by the presidential adviser in charge of archives and national memory, Mr. Abdelmadjid Chikhi, yesterday Tuesday (October 27th).
The issue of Algerian-French archives and memory is lagging behind, hinted at the Algerian file manager, Abdelmadjid Chikhi. He blames the French authorities, who he says do not seem to want to move forward.
Speaking Tuesday, October 27 on the airwaves of channel 3 of the National Radio, Chikhi noted a certain “resistance” among the French in the settlement of this file relating to the archives of the colonial period.
Abdelmadjid Chikhi affirmed that the Algerian researchers, who move in France and ask their counterparts of this country for discussions, “remain hungry”. However, the headlong rush of the French does not seem to affect Algeria too much, determined to recover at all costs its archives held by France.
Recourse to international arbitration is not ruled out
For Abdelmadjid Chikhi, “all the heritage which was stolen by France during the 132 years of Algerian colonization, must be returned to it”. Among the archives claimed by Algeria, the presidential adviser cites those relating to the nuclear tests carried out in the Sahara. If this request is not granted, Abdelmadjid Chikhi does not rule out the possibility of resorting to international arbitration to assert Algeria’s rights.
Suspended because of the coronavirus, the dialogue between the two parties should resume shortly, said the same speaker who also noted a disposition of mind among his counterpart Benjamin Stora, responsible for leading the discussions on the French side. The Algerian representative advocates healthy cooperation between Algeria and France to move this thorny issue forward.
