French Interior Minister: ‘Algeria is Attacking Us'
Rabat – France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau denied today that his country wants to further the crisis and tensions with Algeria, but denounced the country's continued refusal to accept its nationals who are subject to expulsion.
In an interview with Sud Radio, Retailleau said France does not want war with Algeria.
'We are not warmongers, we do not want war with Algeria. It is Algeria that is attacking us,' Retailleau said, noting that it is 'essential that Algeria does not haggle when we are convinced, with an identity card or a passport, that the individual is Algerian. It must readmit them.'
The interior minister vowed further measures against Algeria as part of a 'graduated response' towards the country.
'We have started to implement this with the suspension of privileges for the Algerian nomenklatura,' he said, referencing the reassessment of the 2007 agreements that allow holders of diplomatic passports to enter France without a visa.
The crisis between the two countries is accelerating as Algeria's regime continues to refuse to receive nationals subjected to deportation orders from France.
Last week, the Secretary General of Algeria's Foreign Minister held a meeting with the Charge d'Affaires of France's embassy in Algiers to discuss the list of Algerian nationals subject to deportation orders.
Algeria, during the meeting, handed a verbal note containing the country's response, reaffirming Algiers' 'categorical rejection of threats, attempts at intimidation, injunctions, ultimatums, and any coercive language.'
The ministry further said that the country 'disapproves of France's selective approach to bilateral and international agreements between the two countries,' reaffirming that Algeria is 'guided solely by its duty to provide consular protection to its nationals.'
The French government has been seeing Algeria's approach as a 'humiliation and provocative act.'
On Tuesday, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin called on his government to recall France's ambassador to Algeria. He also called for bold measures, like putting an end to diplomatic passports that give the right to Algerians to come to France for medical treatment or shopping.
'We need to make the countries of origin – Algeria must understand this – understand that they must take back the nationals we no longer want on our territory,' he concluded.
Like Darmanin, Retailleau stressed the importance of Algeria's engagement in the situation, repeating his threats that he would resign if France backed down against a firm position to tackle Algeria's reluctance.
'If one day I were to face an obstacle that could jeopardize the safety of our fellow citizens, I would have to question myself,' the interior minister said in his today's statement.
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