Mr President, I too have just returned from Algeria, having been a member of the parliamentary delegation. I wish to use my speaking time to describe the expectation and hope that many Algerians have placed in relations with Europe and to describe their thoughts and demands as well. Today, Algeria has, of course, passed a milestone, shall we say, by holding elections, in which the absolute majority was gained by the so-called new FLN. First and foremost, however, Algeria is a country with disastrous social conditions in which hundreds of thousands of families are struggling for survival. Eighty per cent of the country's population consists of young people, whose sole future prospect is unemployment. An additional concern is that the acceleration of the liberalisation process and our future privatisations risk making the situation worse. This social situation is, without doubt, connected to the record level of non-participation in the last elections. The Algeria of today is defined by the citizens’ movement in Kabylia, formed in spring 2001 to condemn the repression and killing of 115 young people, is still active in Algeria. It is defined by the women’s collective, by the lawyers who are defending more than 150 of the movement’s militants who have been detained, some for more than two months. Algeria is also defined by remarkable aspirations to construct a society which reconciles its identity, fundamental freedoms and development which will benefit all people. The future of Algeria certainly does not lie in repressing democratic aspirations, in restricting the freedom of the press. Instead, it lies in taking into account the often courageous action of many different associations which defend, for example, women’s rights, which call for the family code to be repealed, which care for children who have been scarred by violence, or which defend human rights. Yes, we must revive formal EU-Algerian relations, since the Algerian people have almost single-handedly been coping with an explosion of terrorist extremism for a decade now, whereas other countries only realised the extent of the danger after 11 September. A great deal of criticism and also many expectations have been expressed by our Algerian counterparts, originating in particular from associations, independent trade unions, students and the Kabyle movement, regarding the lack of prior consultation in Algeria and also the content of the association agreement. With regard to the latter, Algeria must, first and foremost, respect its international commitments on freedom but there is also the question of the social consequences of opening-up the borders and markets and of a policy that, it is claimed, is entirely liberal, at a time when the Union is presenting itself as a fortress. Lastly, it would, without doubt, be tragic if the genuine democratic potential that exists in Algerian society continues to be wasted, or even stifled. The Algerian authorities, as well as the European Union, must listen to these aspirations. I support what my fellow Members have said with regard to the Union; namely, how can the troika that visited Algiers some days ago openly bring up the question of human rights, which is a positive step, and also welcome the organisation of elections, which caused a general uproar among many Algerians? Given that these elections were boycotted by several democratic parties and by an entire region, Kabylia, I feel that we should, at least, be slightly dubious. It is true, the economic and social situation of the Maghreb people is explosive and the measures introduced by the partnership to defuse the situation have fizzled out! I would like to end by warning the European Parliament against taking any decision contrary to international law which, since 1991, has been calling for a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara. Parliament has so far resisted giving in to the politics of the fait accompli and any deviation or change of position is not likely to be of help to the Arab Maghreb Union.

Political group: GUE-NGL