The Waltz of Valls: “He didn’t win over the Algerians and the French remained dissatisfied”

The official visit to Algeria by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, unveiled two contradictory discourses, one meant for the French public opinion and the other for the Algerian one, with the latter already gripped by anger after the Algerian Minister of Industry and Mines, Abdeslem Bouchouareb was dragged through the mud by a certain French press after the recent striking revelations of the “Panama Papers”.

Before flying to Algiers, Manuel Valls expressed on Twitter, for French domestic consumption, its deep regret regarding the Algerian decision to deny visas to journalists of the “Monde” newspaper and TV Channel Canal + to cover the French Premier’s visit, saying “he would address the issue with the Algerian executive branch in all friendship and frankness, stressing that nothing should make us deviate from this strategic alliance, because friendship goes with frankness and the act of saying things very directly, but also to understand each other”, as he put it.

But as soon as, he arrived in Algiers, Manuel Valls became another man and even changed his tone, saying in a speech after his encounter with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika that he has great respect for the Algerian  President and that he supports him.

To recall, the French daily “Le Monde” published in its April 5th issue, a photograph of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika among some world leaders suspected of tax evasion and money laundering, before finally changing its mind, stating apologetically that the name of the Algerian head of state does not appear in the “Panama Papers”.

To summarize, we can say that the French Prime Minister has played both ways, a shrewd mix of diplomacy and business. In fact, this trip was marked by the case of the revelations of the “Panama Papers” as well as the refusal of visas for French journalists and economic affairs.

Manuel Valls signed within two days more than a dozen contracts with Algeria, the largest of which is that of “Alstom”, a French company specializing in the construction of tramways and trains, without forgetting a contract on mayonnaise production  between Lesieur company and Algerian Gadi firm. But unfortunately, neither Air Liquide, or PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) have materialized their contracts.

Mr Valls’s visit to Algeria also may have other intentions, mostly politically-motivated because the French presidential candidates know well that a trip to Algeria is imperative and inescapable, like François Hollande in 2010 or Nicholas Sarkozy in 2006 and even recently Alain Juppé who travelled to Algeria last February because the proximity between the two countries is geographical, historical and strategic.