Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister, on “the temptation” in France regretted “to make Algeria the scapegoat for a certain number of our problems”, notably “in terms of immigration”.
Diplomatic relations between Paris and Algiers are increasingly strained. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently ruled out going to France on television and accused France of genocide during the colonization: ” Fortunately, for many months, if not years, we have seen the relationship with this great friendly brother country that is Algeria deteriorate day after day. From deterioration to deterioration, we come to accusations far beyond any reality.”
Paris’ support for Morocco’s autonomy plan on the Western Sahara issue has contributed to a new tension between the two countries. “We should have done all this within the framework of the United Nations and in liaison with Algeria ,” believes the former diplomat.
Abdelmadjid Tebboune denounced those who want to call into question the 1968 agreements that grant Algerians a special status regarding the right to travel, reside and work in France. It has “become a standard behind which the army of extremists marches” in France, declared the Algerian president. “The temptation today, here in France, is to make Algeria the scapegoat for a certain number of problems. And this is particularly true in terms of immigration. Algeria does not have to bear this and we must find answers and solutions with the Algerians,” asserted Dominique de Villepin.
Six years after the Evian Accords that defined the conditions for Algeria’s independence, the 1968 Accords allowed Algerians to obtain a special status in France. “To want to brandish today the symbol of the 1968 Accord, which we all know is one of the consequences of the Evian Accords. Is it wanting to open a war with Algeria? A war of memories? All this is absurd, there are other paths,” assures the former Prime Minister.
“Today, we will resolve the issue of the immigration of Algerians detained in administrative detention centers and whom we want to send back home only in agreement with Algeria,” he explains, but “this implies dialogue, it implies respect and it implies the ability to assume this history which is shared and which is so important on both sides of the Mediterranean,” he adds.
