6 days ago
European Union Distances Itself From Sansal's Support Committee
Noëlle Lenoir, president of the so-called International Committee in Support of Franco-Algerian Writer Boualem Sansal, expressed her dismay at the failure of the 'strategy of extreme restraint' adopted by the French authorities and the lack of European Union support to confront Algeria's strict handling of the Sansal case. This was the conclusion reached by the committee at a meeting of its members held on Thursday, July 17, in Paris.
The committee acknowledged, according to a statement circulated to the press and largely published in French media, that its efforts over nearly eight months 'have not borne fruit.' This has prompted them to reconsider their working methods and seek out prominent figures with strong friendships with the Algerian authorities to soften their stance. In this regard, they mentioned the name of the revolutionary Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The meeting of Sansal's advocates came after hopes of a presidential pardon for the prisoner on the occasion of Independence Day, on July 5, had faded. The hopes of a humanitarian release, as they had subsequently promoted, also evaporated.
The Algerian Press Agency settled the controversy once and for all, confirming that Sansal would not be released and that the decision of the Algerian judicial authorities would remain supreme, as President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had also stated on multiple occasions.
In a desperate tone, Noëlle Lenoir spoke about the European Commission's position on the committee's efforts with her: 'They tell us they support us, but they do nothing.' This is the conclusion Lenoir reached after meeting with the working group of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and with Kaja Kallas.
The French authorities were not spared criticism from the Sansal Support Committee, which attacked French President Emmanuel Macron's handling of the Sansal case.
According to the committee's spokesperson, Arnaud Benedetti, 'The strategy of excessive restraint chosen by the Élysée Palace and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yielded results.'
French government spokesperson Sophie Primas confirmed, after Paris confirmed that Sansal would not receive a presidential pardon, that the French authorities do not see verbal violence as a solution to the Sansal case, in a letter addressed to the Sansal Support Committee and all those who follow its approach.
Commenting on the controversial statements of French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, the Élysée Palace and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot have repeatedly affirmed that the diplomatic path remains Macron's preferred option, despite the failure of all previous attempts. This is a fact that the far right, both politically and in the media, is seeking to exploit to undermine Macron's strategy and return to the logic of escalation advocated by Bruno Retailleau, whose failure has also been confirmed.
The presence of former French ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, among the committee's members is a development that is likely to further complicate the work of Sansal's defenders, given his extremist positions on Algeria. The proposals he put forward to pressure for the release of the Franco-Algerian writer were inspired by the campaign he led against Algeria for nearly a year. These included calls to abolish the 1968 historical immigration agreement between the two countries, limit the number of visas granted to Algerians, and reduce the number of Algerian consulates on French soil.
As for the retired diplomat, France has not yet had its say (…), because the French authorities, he said, have not initiated any escalatory measures, although Paris unilaterally suspended the 2007 and 2013 agreements on Algerian diplomatic passports, which required the Algerian side to respond within the framework of the principle of reciprocity.
