French Foreign Minister welcomes Algeria's acceptance of visit by EU delegation

The French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, has said that Algeria's agreement to receive a delegation of European Union ministers next week to discuss the recent massacres in the country is a positive step and represents real progress.

Mr Vedrine told an Arab newspaper Al-Hayat that it meant that the Algerian governmment was admitting that a country can be sovereign and at the same time can hold dialogue and discussions.

Algeria has rejected calls for an international investigation into the mass killings of civilians which have been blamed on Islamic extremists.

It finally agreed to the visit by junior ministers from Britain, Austria and Luxembourg on Monday and Tuesday after rejecting a proposal for a proposed delegation of lower-ranking officials.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service