Abdelmajid Tebboune embarked on a lengthy interview published Thursday morning by the French newspaper Le Point. The Algerian president returned to business a few months ago after a long recovery in Germany. Questioned by Algerian historians and journalists Kamel Daoud and Adlène Meddi, President Tebboune returned to many questions from his presidency, especially Algeria’s external relations with the Sahel, Morocco, Western Sahara and even France.
In his last interview last March, Abdelmadjid Tebboune has already ruled out a military intervention by Algeria in the Sahel, the Algerian president reiterated his comments. “This is not the solution,” he said. But he assures us that his country “will never allow northern Mali to become a haven for terrorists” even less if this were to take the form of “division of the country”.
On the effectiveness of military policy, the Algerian president lamented the lack of efficiency and lack of resources of the G5 Sahel force, while defending a political solution through the 2015 Algerian Accords.
Abdelmadjid Tebboune finally pointed out Morocco’s responsibility in the difficult relations between the two countries. “Morocco has always been the aggressor”, he confirms and appreciates that Algeria could not “open its borders with a country that attacks it daily”.
With regard to Western Sahara, he called on Morocco to respect international law and the Sahrawi will for self-determination, and recalled that the Polisario Front, although supported by Algeria, was finding it increasingly difficult to restrict its youth.
Relations with France
In this interview, the president also returned to Emmanuel Macron’s relations with France. “Recognizing is a form of repentance,” said Abdelmadjid Tebboune. On the question of the memory issue between France and Algeria, in particular the recognition of crimes committed by the French army during colonization, the Algerian president asked for a peaceful and recognized memory. If he does not expect financial compensation, he urges France to “clean up the nuclear test sites” and remind that radioactivity still requires victims.
On report requested by Élysée from Benjamin StoraAbdelmadjid Tebboune greets a historian “close to the truth”, but believes that this report “was intended only for the French”. On the development of bilateral relations, he lamented the lack of knowledge about the Algerian diplomacy of French officials, referring to the high-level meeting that the Algerians suspended after many French ministers.
Finally, from an economic point of view, the Algerian president pointed the finger at the lobby near “French Algeria” and the Moroccan influence that “criminalizes” the fact of working with Algeria. In this sense, he also reminded that relations should be built on equal terms between the two countries.
.
