Ségolène Royal, President of the France-Algeria Association and former socialist presidential candidate, has detailed her pivotal role in reviving Algerian-French dialogue following a near two-year diplomatic impasse. The former French minister shared insights into her recent visit to Algeria and her subsequent meeting with French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, emphasizing the need for a constructive approach to bilateral relations.
Algerian-French diplomatic relations
Speaking with Radio "Boomafm", Royal described the current state of Franco-Algerian relations as slowly improving. She underscored her association's efforts in re-establishing communication channels between officials of both nations. "When I returned from Algeria, I met with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin at his request to brief him on the visit," Royal stated. "We spoke for an hour, and I explained the situation, urging him to visit Algeria without preconditions, advising him to cease imposing conditions for the visit."
Earlier, Darmanin had set conditions for his visit, including the release of French sports journalist Christophe Gleyses, who was serving a seven-year sentence for supporting and glorifying terrorism, and the resumption of deportations of undocumented Algerian residents in France. These remarks had led to Algeria's disengagement from the visit, which was initiated by Paris.
During her visit to Algeria, Royal had cautioned the French side against missing the opportunity to revitalize bilateral ties. She emphasized, "The Interior Minister must go there, to Algeria. He has been awaited for some time, without prior conditions, because all Interior Ministers in France hide behind that." She further elaborated to "Boomafm", "If you need Algeria to relaunch partnership relations, you must go. If you want to set preconditions, there is no need to go. Would France accept conditions being set before its visit?"
Royal also recounted her meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in early January. "When I was received by the President, he told me that [Gérald Darmanin] would be welcome on the condition that he does not speak of prior conditions. I find this natural for a sovereign nation," she said.
Furthermore, Royal criticized former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and the far-right for what she termed racist rhetoric targeting Algerians and North Africans. "When they want to target Algeria, their discourse is limited to a few deviants, while ignoring their positive role in building France," she explained. "During my visit to Algeria, I stressed the necessity of changing the perception of Algerians and North Africans in general. I witnessed significant achievements there, visiting artificial intelligence schools, factories, companies, and success stories. This is to emphasize that Algerians are not only those spoken of by Bruno Retailleau and others, but also include the 6,000 doctors working in French hospitals and many others in various fields."
Royal also addressed the issue of historical memory, accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to deliver on his initial promise to confront the colonial past. "President Macron, in his 2017 election campaign, described colonialism as a crime against humanity and spoke of decolonization and the return of cultural property seized by France from its former colonies," she recalled. "France must apologize to Algeria." She asserted that Macron has not offered even a "half-apology."
Questioning the current state of affairs, she asked, "After nearly ten years, where are we now from those statements? He has returned to repeating the same words." Royal characterized Macron's stance as a "failure to commit, a deficit in appreciation, and a disregard for the African other. It is blindness and hallucination." She linked this attitude to France's diminishing influence in Francophone African countries, citing the recent Franco-African summit held in Kenya, an Anglophone nation, as a consequence of French colonial-era leaders refusing to convene under French tutelage. "This is very painful for France, which today must establish equitable relations based on respect with its former colonies, contrary to what we see today," Royal concluded.
Related topics: Algeria France relations, Ségolène Royal, diplomatic dialogue, Gérald Darmanin, colonialism apology, Abdelmadjid Tebboune
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