Marine Le Pen: “I'm shocked of Algerian delegation presence in Paris 14 July celebrations”
الشروق أونلاين
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Marine Le Pen. Photo: archives
Leader of the French extreme right, Marine Le Pen, renewed its objection of Algeria’s official delegation’s presence in Paris to commemorate the centenary day of the First World War, which will be held on July 14.
Le Pen described the matter as a “shock”, at a time when the President Francois Holland received youth of the delegations which will participate in the celebration, including youth of the Algerian delegation who are two men and two women.
French channel “ETELE quoted Marine Le Pen as saying on Monday that she refuses Algeria’s participation in the celebrations that will take place in Paris, and commented on the question of whether she will be shocked when seeing Algerian military officials in the Champs-Elysees by saying; “Certainly, this shocks me .. Those who participated in World War 1 were not Algerians but French. How could one accept the participation of Algeria with us, while it is insulting us, and the files that were opened with them have not been processed as is the case with Harkis and Pieds Noirs.”
In Paris, the French authorities accelerated the preparations for the celebration after ensuring Algeria’s participation, which is the first of its kind, in light of the the rejection of some parties of the Algerian political class and the revolutionary family, as the French President Francois Hollande, received at the Military School in Paris, youths of delegations from 80 countries that are interested in participating in the celebration, and with the confirmation of the official spokesman of the Algerian Foreign Ministry, that the Algerian participation is represented by three flag holders and official guards, as well as two girls and two boys, which means that four young Algerians were among the guests of President Francois Hollande, and they took a group photo, while sources asserted that the representative of the government in the ceremony is the Energy Minister, Youcef Yousfi.
During the reception, President Francois Hollande, told the delegations of the participating countries, that “France wanted from 80 countries to share a moment of reflection and remembrance, and at the same time a moment of peace.”
Algeria showed a lot of “cover-up” over the approval to participate in the French celebration, and the Secretary-General of the National Organization of Mudjahidine, Said Abado, emphasized that Algeria will not be present at the July 14 celebrations in Paris, despite the French insistence by three French officials who are the Interior Minister, and then media statements by the Minister of veterans, Abdelkader Therif, then the Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, however, with the near ceremonial day, Algeria found itself “compelled” to inform the public opinion through the Foreign Minister, Ramtane Laamamra, at the last moment, that Algeria will take part in the celebration, in advance the following reason, “Algerian people accepts its history fully and honors those who contributed in the consecration of freedom across the world” adding that “Its participation on July 14, in Paris aimed to mention and pay tribute to our brave ancestors to sacrifice their selves for the sake of the freedom of others and their freedom”, and before that the Moudjahidine Minister, avoids providing a specific position of the Algerian participation, as he only said; “President Bouteflika will take the appropriate position in the matter.”
