Algeria: The Big Day

"This is a big day," said hefty M'hammed Yazid, the F.L.N. Information Minister, and then he added: "It's my wedding anniversary."

Yazid's mild jest did not obscure the real importance of the occasion. In a single night he had driven 500 miles to Tunis from the Libyan capital of Tripoli, where the Algerian National Revolutionary Council had been in session, to tell waiting newsmen of the cease-fire agreement with France. By an overwhelming vote, the council empowered Premier Benyoussef Benkhedda to conclude the agreement as he saw fit, without the need of obtaining further council approval.

Still, a few irritating details...

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