Algeria trade minister rejects France remarks on finance law

Algerian trade minister Hachemi Djaaboub said France must respect his country’s sovereignty in response to remarks made by Hervé Novelli secretary of state for consumer affairs.

• “France must know that Algeria is a sovereign country and its decisions are taken from it and not from France,” he told trade executives.
•  
• Earlier, the French minister slammed Algeria for its finance law 2009, saying the law problem will be submitted to the ministerial meeting upon a French initiative.
•  
• He urged Spain and Italy to make a collective move to convince the Algerian government that it is on the wrong way in that issue.
•  
• Djaaboub said it is up to Algeria to see the most appropriate policy for its interests protection. “The French government should have apologised for its colonial crimes in the country.”
•  
• He added that the new finance law is meant to reduce imports bill, saying France made a noise about because of three articles of the law related to consumer loans ban and proxy ban in foreign trade. “The law contains 109 other articles they did not talk about because they do not affect France’s interests.” 
•  
• The new law caused obstruction in the port of Marseille which saw its activity stopped by 40 percent as its work with the port of Algiers dropped.
•  
• French unions protested to put pressure on their government to ask Algeria to reconsider the finance law. Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said the country will not make any change because its interests can not change overnight.