Algeria Ignores French Request For Consular Protection For Boualem Sansal

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot admitted the absence of any communication with the Algerian side, even at the level of consular representation, in a development that confirms the abysmal level of the collapse of Algerian-French relations, for which the first man in the Elysee Palace, Emmanuel Macron, is responsible for his decision to choose the “wrong camp” regarding the conflict in the Western Sahara conflict.

Asked if the French authorities are getting information about French writer Boualem Sansal, who is in prison, Barrot replied that his country’s authorities get information from the imprisoned writer’s wife, who visits him once a week… “We are in contact with her and her husband’s lawyer.”

Algerian-French relations collapsed last summer, following the sudden change in French President Emmanuel Macron’s position on the Sahrawi issue, an incident that led the Algerian authorities to withdraw their ambassador from Paris, Said Moussa, and reduce diplomatic representation to its lowest level (chargé d’affaires).

In a talk show with Radio Sud, a far-right media organization, the French foreign minister said: “We asked the Algerian side for the possibility of activating the right of consular protection, because Boualem Sansal is a Frenchman of Algerian origin, and so far we have not received this (consular) protection, because Algeria has not responded to our request.”

“I am ready, when the time comes, to go to Algeria to discuss all pending issues between the two countries, which is the only way that would contribute to de-escalation in the interests of the Algerian and French peoples,” he said.

As usual, Jean-Noël Barrot showed a strong desire to de-escalate with Algeria, unlike his counterpart in the government, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. Despite the insistence of the journalist of “Sud Radio” (Radio Sud) on Jean-Noël Barrot, on whether he shares Retailleau’s repeated demands to review the 1968 immigration agreement, he did not get a sufficiently clear statement in support of this demand, he insisted on going the opposite, emphasizing that this agreement has been reviewed more than once, an implicit reference to his lack of enthusiasm for this.

The French Minister of the Interior has become almost isolated within François Bayrou’s government, as he did not receive support from either French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister François Bayrou, or Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and even the government spokeswoman, Sophie Brima, had strongly criticized Retailleau for his intervention in the file of Algerian-French relations, a file that does not concern him, as she confirmed last Wednesday that this file is the exclusive prerogative of President Macron and Foreign Minister Noel Barrot, who stressed that this file is the exclusive prerogative of President Macron.

Regarding French writer Boualem Sansal, Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that he was hospitalized for treatment, before being returned to prison. “Sansal left the hospital a few days ago and returned to the prison on the outskirts of Algiers,” he said.
The writer is accused of damaging Algeria’s territorial integrity following irresponsible statements he made to the far-right Frontière channel, which broadcasts on the social network YouTube.

Bilateral relations are rapidly heading towards a point of no return in light of the repeated provocations of French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, whose latest provocation was to further restrict Algerian travelers at French airports, especially Parisian ones.