[ad_1]
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he hoped a major diplomatic conflict with Algeria would be resolved soon, saying he had “really cordial” relations with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
“My wish is that we can calm things down because I think it is better to talk to each other, and to progress,” Macron told France Inter radio.
Algeria recalled its ambassador to Paris on Saturday after Macron was quoted in The world affirming that Algeria was ruled by a “politico-military system”, and that its government had rewritten the history of its colonization on the basis of a “hatred of France”.
It has also closed its airspace to French military planes – which regularly fly over Algeria as part of operations against Islamists in the Sahel region.
“Extraordinary sensitivity”
French lawyer Jean-Pierre Mignard, who accompanied Macron on a visit to Algeria in 2017, told RFI that the level of “extraordinary sensitivity” that existed between the two countries was often difficult to exceed.
“This crisis which stems a lot from the dissatisfaction of the French side, which has the feeling of having given a lot and received little,” he told RFI.
“We cannot historically say that before colonization, there was nothing, because this implies that colonization is a factor of civilization and a factor of building a nation which, without colonization, would not exist. .
“Of course, the Algerian people cannot accept this.”
The breakdown in relations between the countries also follows a French decision to reduce the number of visas issued to Algerians and other countries in North Africa, arguing that they were not doing enough to stem illegal immigration.
Method of election
In calling for an easing of tensions, Algerian politicians accused Macron of “populist demagoguery”, or of seeking to appease things with the Algerian people because their vote would be an important factor in the presidential elections next April.
Asked by RFI Africa specialist Christophe Boisbouvier if he would vote for Macron again next year, Mignard said that like many French people, he was waiting to see how this crisis would unfold.
“It will be interesting to see how Macron extricates himself from this situation for the good of France and for the good of Algeria.
Source link
