France considers sanctions on Algeria’s airlines

French interior minister Bruno Retailleau said his country would impose sanctions on Air Algerie, as Algeria continues to reject individuals expelled by France on grounds of violating French laws.

Algeria has so far rejected three of its own nationals who were living illegally in France and who were involved in criminal activity.

The latest episode in this row was an Algerian aged 30 years who was indicted to six months by a French court on charges of theft using a bladed weapon. He was escorted to an Air Algerie airplane heading to Oran, where Algerian authorities rejected to admit him and resent him back to France, although he had a valid identity card.

In the face of the Algerian decision, France is “reviewing all possible responses,” Retailleau said, mentioning in particular imposing sanctions on the Algerian flag carrier.

Retailleau called on the French government to be firm with Algeria warning to go as far as ending the preferential visa-free treatment enjoyed by the Algerian nomenklatura and the army of diplomats in the country, as well as reviewing the 1968 agreement which offer Algerians preferential treatment in settling in France.

“From the moment Algeria does not respect the agreement with France and international law, why should we be obliged to respect the agreements with Algeria?” he said.

Algeria has taken a series of self-defeating economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation against France’s sovereign decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

Algeria has recalled its ambassador and curbed imports from France while halting cooperation on migration. It has also imprisoned French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal for his critical opinions and continues to keep him in jail, despite French president’s call for his release.