Halim Ben Atallah responds to Brice Hortefeux: “Algerians have the legitimate right to move on the French territories”

The Algerian Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the community living abroad, Mr. Halim Ben Atallah, said that the obstacles for obtaining a visa to enter the French authorities will be among the priorities of negotiations with the French authorities at the beginning of 2011.

•  “Citizens of the Maghreb region have the right to move freely in the French territory”, he added in a response to the French request made by Brice Hortefeux to his country’s consuls to tighten procedures of granting more visas to Algerians.
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• “Algeria asks the French authorities to facilitate measures of granting visas to Algerians, and their moves to the EU countries. Maghreb people have the legitimate right to move freely in the French territories”, the spokesman said during the works of the seventh ministerial seminar of dialogue on migration in the western Mediterranean.
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• Statements by the Algerian minster are a response to the French declarations to “Le Monde” newspaper, which reveal that he will order consulates in the Maghreb countries to tighten procedures for granting visas to Maghreb peoples, especially Algerians saying; “France has the right to choose its immigrants and will deport any illegal immigrant on its soil”.