France does damage control in Rabat as it tilts closer to authoritarian Algeria
Few days after the adoption of a French-instigated European Parliament resolution hostile to Morocco, French Ambassador to Rabat tried to distance his country from the move that has angered Moroccan authorities and triggered a commensurate response from the European Parliament.
In an interview with French-speaking magazine Telquel, French Ambassador Christophe Lecourtier said that the resolution had no implications on France’s foreign policy, and that Paris had no role in it.
“We are responsible only for decisions taken by the French authorities,” he said.
Lecourtier gave the interview after a visit to Visa applications center where he was said to have ensured the return to normalcy in the visa process after months of restrictions that saw many Moroccan officials and businessmen get their visa denied.
The ambassador also voiced hope to see his country and Morocco cooperate closely on energy.
Yet his arguments or excuses are not convincing for Moroccan politicians. Moroccan MPs were straightforward in their resolution in response to what they described as an interference of the European Parliament in Morocco’s judiciary, an affront to the rights of victims of rape and a violation in Morocco’s sovereignty.
The Moroccan parliament referred to its disappointment at the instigation of members of European parliament from a country that was supposed to be a friend, hinting at France.
Indeed, the resolution was impelled by Stéphane Séjourné, who leads Macron’s MEPs at the European Parliament. Most French members of the EP voted for the anti-Moroccan resolution save some right-wing politicians.
The context is not giving any credence to the statements of the French ambassador as his country offers concessions to Algeria’s military regime going as far as promising to send them arms.
French president was the first to receive Algeria’s King maker, Chief of Staff Chengriha, and has kept silent regarding Algeria’s unilateral hostile acts towards Morocco.
As France empowers the military regime in Algeria, it is distancing itself from its longtime friend and ally signaling a decline in France’s foreign policy in the region in favor of closer ties with an oil and gas-dependent country mired in repression and instability and on the verge of collapse.
