France's Hollande visits Algeria with terror fight on agenda

French President Francois Hollande will fly later on Monday to Algeria, his second visit since taking power in 2012 to discuss with his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika ways to counter terrorist offensive in the Sahel region and mainly in Mali and Libya.

During his one-day visit at the invitation of Bouteflika, Hollande will meet the Algerian leader and hold talks with the country's Prime Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, according to local media reports.

To broker a lasting peace deal ending the Malian crisis and to seek ways halting Islamist fighters in Libya will top the two leaders' talks when the chaos in the North Africa's main oil producer triggered massive flow of immigrants who seek better life in the European doors.

"The destabilization of the region has become very dangerous for Europe, Paris encourages Algerians to contribute to the pacification. Knowing that the solution can not only be political, the European leaders need their experience and their mediation," Mansouria Mokhefi, an expert in Maghreb region's issues at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), told the daily Le Figaro.

Paris also wants to consolidate a long term partnership on equal term with Algiers by strengthening the human and economic ties, according to local reports.

Months after he took power in May 2012, Hollande made his first state visit to Algeria aimed at easing diplomatic tension and opening a new chapter for new political relations that are heavily tainted by France's colonial past. Endit