By Sophie Louet
ALGIERS (Reuters) - France and Algeria signed defence andcivil nuclear power accords on Saturday in what Paris called asign of transformation in sometimes stormy relations with itsformer north African colony.
Making the first visit by a French premier in 22 years,Prime Minister Francois Fillon declared French firms would notbe driven out of the north African country by armed groups,following the death of a Frenchman in a bombing this month.
"We will not give in to threats," El Watan newspaper quotedhim as saying in an interview marking his two-day visit toFrance's largest trading partner in Africa, which still sufferssporadic attacks by rebels fighting for purist Islamic rule.
Al Qaeda's north Africa wing said it was behind twinbombings that killed a French engineer in Algeria on June 8east of Algiers and vowed more attacks against "crusaders".
The engineer was the first French citizen killed inpolitical violence in Algeria since the 1990s when the countryplunged into a civil conflict that killed up to 200,000 people.
Fillon and Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhademattended the signing of an accord on the peaceful use ofnuclear energy.
It provides for cooperation in research, training,technology transfer and the exploration and production ofuranium, sectors of interest to French nuclear plant builderAreva.
"This is a historic moment that is representative of thetransformation in our relations," Fillon said, accompanied bysix ministers including Defence Minister Herve Morin andEconomic Strategy Minister Christine Lagarde.
'CLEAR SIGNAL'
"There is no clearer signal of France's intention toestablish an exceptional partnership with Algeria."
Algerian commentators say sometimes prickly political tiesremain hostage to the past. Many of Algeria's leaders took partin an eight-year guerrilla struggle against France that endedwith independence in 1962.
Fillon, in a speech to students at a business school, saidAlgeria and France should not think of their common past "as aburden" but work together to rise above resentment.
His was the latest in a string of statements by Frenchofficials seeking to address Algerian anger over colonialmisdeeds during France's 132-year rule.
French ambassador Bernard Bajolet won cautious praise inAlgeria in April when he denounced "the very heavyresponsibility" of colonial authorities for what he calledhorrific massacres of thousands of Algerians in 1945.
French business executives say their country's sometimesbumpy political ties with Algeria are no obstacle to businesslinks, although Algerian red tape can be a headache.
More than 250 companies have business with Algeria,employing 120,000 people directly and 40,000 indirectly, mainlyin the building and public works sectors and water.
Belkhadem, reiterating a call for a loosening of visarules, said bilateral ties could not reach their full potentialif they were "amputated from their human dimension".
Algeria's demand for more visas and work permits is astaple of relations with France.
