President Bouteflika responded to the French argument saying that the history of colonialism must be subjected to research in order to establish the truth and to do justice to the Algerian people.

• He said it is not enough to show the reality of colonialism and do justice to Algeria after its considerable losses during the colonial period.
• Bouteflika explains, in a letter sent to the participants in the symposium held in Setif, east of Algeria, in commemoration of the 8th May 1945 massacres under “Legal and Historical reading of the 8th May 1945 massacres”, Bouteflika said, “What was said about the alleged positive nature of  colonialism and initiatives to let historians and public opinion engage in the details of the colonial history marked by untold violence and hideous massacres against the Algerians are not enough to show the truth and do justice to Algeria after all these suffering and losses”.
• On the eve of his state visit to France, Bouteflika added; “We know the French people are not responsible for the French colonialism, but to put an end to this black history of France and we must find a unique formula to go beyond this ugly past”.