On the verge of the end of his second presidential term, French President Emmanuel Macron did not hide his desire to end the rupture and the complex crisis that struck his country’s relationship with Algeria, before he left the Elysee Palace, while the “Republicans” candidate for the presidential position did not abandon using this crisis to ascend to the position, using an indirect confrontation with Macron to impose his political line.
This desire simmering in Macron’s heart to resolve the unprecedented blockage, which has become almost institutional, was revealed to his companions on a recent return trip from one of his Asian visits, according to what Le Monde newspaper reported.
According to the newspaper, the issue of reconciliation with Algeria was raised on board the presidential plane that was returning Macron to Paris, with his diplomatic advisor, Emmanuel Beaune, as well as the representative of the French National Assembly for the Ecologists Party of Algerian origins, Sabrina Sabahi, who was among the delegation and is known for her interest in discussions related to the tensions between Paris and Algeria, and Macron asked her, that day, for her opinion regarding ways to relaunch a faltering relationship.
Sabaihi was among the delegation returning from the visit to Seoul, in her capacity as head of the France-South Korea Friendship Group in the National Assembly, in control of her language, and passionate about the Asian country.
Macron asked the MP: “So, what do we do with Algeria?” Trying to settle a complex crisis that is not like other past crises, but rather it seems institutional and multiple, influenced by parties and factors outside the scope and control of the president himself.
It was understood from the president’s questions that he “wants to achieve reconciliation with Algeria before the end of his term.” This is an impression shared by everyone who accompanied him or spoke to him about the file, according to the author of the article.
It has become clear that Macron does not want to leave the Elysee Palace, leaving behind a “severe failure” in his relationship with Algeria, in the words of the same source, given the “symbolic investment” that he had made in the beginning and middle of his rule, when he took steps in the memory file.
On the contrary, the same file is being used from another angle, by the “Republicans” candidate Bruno Rotayo in his race for the presidential seat, by highlighting a break with “Macronism” and with every possible rapprochement with Algeria.
One manifestation of this equation is Macron’s statements against the “crazy people” who seek to “break with Algeria”, and the reactions he provoked among the right and extreme right.
This paradox became more prominent than ever, in an indirect clash between Macron and Rotayo when he was Minister of the Interior and went against the president’s approach and outside even the country’s culture and diplomatic decorum.
