We remember at the end of the summer, just back from an official visit to Algeria, Emmanuel Macron had promised one in Morocco to Moroccan nationals. However, for the time being, this does not seem to want to materialize.
The writer Tahar Ben Jelloun, was Thursday the guest of Mag’hreb magazine on i24NEWS presented by Cyril Amar. He has, so to speak, repeated the offense against the French president and this, after having already somewhat jostled him in an exercise in style, in his column published recently in the columns of the French weekly “Le Point“ . But before we get to that, let’s first set the scene!
Recently, “Africa Intelligence” had affirmed that the French president was going to Rabat in January. The information should be taken with a grain of salt as long as nothing official has yet filtered through on either side. This visit, if it takes place, would closely coincide with the High Level Meeting (HLM) that Morocco and Spain are preparing in accordance with the joint roadmap they signed in April 2022.
Also, the visit of the French president arouses attention. Indeed, Moroccan public opinion echoes this in the context of geopolitical coldness and the tense relations that result from it with a whole lot of issues of contention that are multiplying and that it hopes to see dissipated in the future. ‘opportunity. At the top of the list of annoying subjects, the question of visas, which France has decided to reduce by half.
In its desire to sanction the supposed reluctance of the Kingdom to readmit its migrants in an irregular situation on French soil, France deprives a number of entitled beneficiaries or eligible Moroccan citizens, and in particular the elite, namely academics, executives and other senior officials and personalities, all accustomed to traveling regularly to France and who have nothing “undesirable“.
But, in addition to the reduction of visas, Morocco and France have a number of differences to iron out and, among other things, to clarify the collusion with Algeria, Emmanuel Macron being engaged in a policy of warming with regard to Algiers sealed by several economic agreements. The question of the lack of sufficient recognition of Morocco’s claims to its Sahara is most certainly the other fact of discord that the Kingdom blames with regard to France.
Indeed, Rabat, on the question of the sovereignty of its Sahara, criticizes Paris for not positioning itself clearly. Furthermore, it is clear that France still does not have an ambassador in Rabat. As we can see, there are plenty of subjects to irritate or annoy between the two countries.
Also, Tahar Benjelloun, without really scolding anyone or anything, this time around, nevertheless takes up the refrain from the beginning of the month on Le Point, indicating that the real French political leaders, the great heads of state and government, have prudently refrained from having such Macronian attitudes. ” The relationships were privileged under Mitterrand, Chirac and even Sarkozy “, will say the Goncourt prize and academician who has noted a change of era with Emmanuel Macron. ” He does not have a great sensitivity for the Arab world and the Maghreb “, according to him. ” Betting everything on Algeria is a serious mistake because it will not give it anything “, he insists.
Tahar Ben Jelloun described the visa affair as ” ridiculous punishment », which even affects largely Francophile intellectuals and artists. ” The Moroccan consulate has never refused to take back its citizens illegally settled in France. The problem is that Paris also sends Algerian or Tunisian nationals among them, which Morocco obviously does not want. “, he said.
While on the question of the Sahara, the writer will emphasize that ” France felt a little sidelined when signing the Abraham Accords between Israel and Morocco in December 2020 “. He will also recall that the Sahara is sacred to Moroccans because of their historical ties with this region. Spain and Germany, moreover, followed the position adopted by Washington, and one would have expected France to do the same. “, he noted.
According to Tahar Ben Jelloun, Emmanuel Macron did not understand how the Moroccan monarchy works. The writer does not go with a dead hand: ” It is an active monarchy, which has nothing to do with the English or Scandinavian model. France may have considered that Morocco was emancipating itself a little too much for its taste. The country has developed and has notably invested a lot in Africa, which is viewed with suspicion by France. “, adds the writer.
Tahar Ben Jelloun believes that diplomatic de-escalation is not for now. ” The disenchantment with France is very widespread in Morocco,” he explained.
The academician regrets in this sense the fact that the French president “don’t listen to anyone ». « He neglected France’s relationship with Morocco out of ignorance and political error. He is concentrating on Algeria but what he must do is seek to develop balanced relations with all the countries of the Maghreb,” concludes Tahar Ben Jelloun.