ALGIERS, 16 April 2004 — French President Jacques Chirac was in Algiers yesterday to congratulate Abdelaziz Bouteflika just a week after the Algerian president won re-election in a landslide. Bouteflika greeted Chirac at the airport, where the French leader reviewed an honor guard and the two countries’ national anthems were performed.

The two presidents then headed for a working lunch at a state residence about 30 kilometers west of Algiers. The Algerian media expressed surprise at the visit by Chirac, who was to return home later in the day, with some newspapers questioning his motives.

El-Watan saw the visit so soon after Bouteflika’s re-election victory as an endorsement of the polls — bitterly disputed by top challenger Ali Benflis — while Le Quotidien d’Oran believed the “rush” to be seen in Algiers betrayed France’s wish to counter “the growing influence of the Americans”.

In France, the opposition Socialist Party cocked an eyebrow at Chirac’s sudden dash to Algiers, announced only Monday. “It’s a little surprising, it being so quick,” the party’s spokeswoman, Annick Lepetit, told reporters.