BBC: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to finalise a series of big business deals on a visit to Algeria.
The contracts include billion-dollar investments in the Algerian oil and gas business by the French energy companies Total and Gaz de France.
France is already the biggest investor in Algeria outside the energy sector.
But it is a controversial visit, given Mr Sarkozy's refusal to apologise for the deaths of thousands of Algerians during French colonial rule.
Deep anger
Mr Sarkozy will be travelling with a large delegation of businessmen to Algiers, where they are expected to seal $4bn-worth of deals vital to both economies. Tensions dog Sarkozy in Algeria >>>
Mark Alexander
