The French presidency announced today that it intends to take "symbolic steps" to address the file of the occupation and war in Algeria, but they will not express "any remorse or apology." Colonialism in his country.

The Elysee added that President Macron will participate in 3 commemorative ceremonies within the framework of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Algerian war in 1962, namely the National Day of the Harkis on September 25, the anniversary of the suppression of the demonstration of Algerians in Paris on October 17, 1961, and the signing of the Evian Accords on March 19. / March 1962 by which Algeria became independent.

It is assumed that the French historian Benjamin Stora will deliver today at five o'clock French time (4 pm GMT) to the French president, his report on colonialism and the Algerian war (1954-1962), which includes proposals aimed at extricating the relationship between France and Algeria from the paralysis caused by the issues of unresolved memory. .

In July 2020, the French President commissioned the historian Stora, one of the most prominent experts in modern Algerian history, to “prepare an accurate and fair report on what France has accomplished regarding the memory of colonialism and the Algerian war” that ended in 1962 and is still a very painful episode in the memory of The families of millions of French and Algerians.

The French presidency said that the head of state "will speak at the appropriate time" on the recommendations of this report, and the committee that will be responsible for studying them.

She emphasized that there would be words and "actions" by the president in the "coming months."

Previous apologies

Sources in the Elysee said that the matter is related to the process of recognition of the colonial past, but "remorse and apology are not included," based on an opinion made by the historian Stora, who cited examples of apologies made by Japan to South Korea and China for World War II and did not allow reconciliation of these countries.

On the other hand, among the symbolic steps taken by France towards the memory of the colonial past, is the transfer of the remains of the anti-occupation lawyer Giselle Halimi - who died on July 28, 2020 - to the Pantheon, which houses the remains of the heroes of French history.

The Elysee stressed that President Macron does not regret his statements he made in the Algerian capital in 2017, in which he condemned colonialism as a "crime against humanity."

Algerian President

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said, after his country recovered last July the remains of 24 leaders of the Algerian resistance against the French occupation, that he wanted an apology from France for its colonial past. He added in a television interview that “Paris offered half an apology,” and expressed hope that "He continued on the same approach and offered her full apology."

Last year, the Algerian Parliament adopted a law according to which May 8 was adopted as a Day of Memory, in memory of the 1945 massacres committed by French forces in the cities of Setif and Constantine (east).

Since more than 4 years ago, Algeria and France have been negotiating over 4 pending historical files, the first of which concerns the Algerian archive, which the French authorities refuse to hand over, and the second file relates to retrieving the skulls of the leaders of the popular revolutions.

As for the third file, it deals with compensation for the victims of the nuclear tests that France conducted in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966, while the fourth file deals with the 2,200 missing persons during the liberation revolution (1954-1962), according to the Algerian authorities.