1 A conference on Algeria organized by Europe could help end the violence that has wracked the country for three years, President Francois Mitterrand said Friday.
2 'If the European Union could, in Europe, organize a conference that draws from different ideas put forth recently, notably the opposition conference in Rome . there would perhaps be more chance to see these projects accepted by the parties opposing each other,' Mitterrand told reporters.
3 Responding to a question whether Europe could play a role in bringing peace to Algeria, Mitterrand said his comments were a 'hope' and not a 'political decision.'
4 He said he broached the topic during informal talks with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Paris Thursday and the two agreed that 'terrorism and extremism strongly feed the misery and economic crisis' of Algeria.
5 Mitterrand spoke at a news conference after meeting with visiting European Union chief Jacques Santer.
6 Algeria has been engulfed in violence the government cancelled legislative elections being won by Muslim fundamentalists three years ago.
7 Opposition Algerian groups meeting in Rome last month drew up a plan to bring peace by reducing tensions in a series of steps, but the plan was rejected by the Algerian government and the more radical of armed Muslim groups waging the insurgency.
8 An estimated 30,000 people have been killed in the violence, and most foreigners have fled the country.

A conference on Algeria organized by Europe could help end the violence that has wracked the country for three years , President Francois Mitterrand said Friday .
could help
How could the conference help end the violence?