ALGERIA - FRANCE
Algerian official: Sarkozy elected by 'Jewish lobby'
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Days before President Nicolas Sarkozy’s first official state visit to Algeria, an Algerian minister has generated controversy by suggesting that Sarkozy’s election was engineered by France’s “Jewish lobby”.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
By FRANCE 24
In an interview published in the Algerian daily El Khabar Nov. 26, Veterans Minister Mohammed Cherif Abbes discussed Sarkozy’s election and his choice of Socialist Bernard Kouchner as foreign minister.
“The origins of the French president and those who brought him to power are well-known,” Abbes was quoted as saying. “Why did Bernard Kouchner cross party lines [to join Sarkozy’s government]? It wasn’t a question of personal convictions. It was the result of a movement that reflects the opinions of the true architects of Sarkozy’s rise to power – the Jewish lobby, which has a monopoly over French industry.”
The remarks are likely to put a further strain on Sarkozy’s visit, scheduled for Dec. 3-5.
Prior to Abbes's comments, Algeria, a former French colony, had already asked France to apologise for its “crimes” committed during 132 years of French colonization. However, on an earlier visit to Algeria in July, Sarkozy rejected the view that France should repent for its colonial past, saying Algeria's younger generation is "looking to the future and not fixated on the past."
‘France wants closer ties with Algeria’
Asked about the pardon issue at a press conference Saturday, Kouchner said, “Now is not the time for repentance or acrimony.” He said France wants “closer ties” with Algeria.
“Algeria is a big country, a friend, but we want closer ties,” he said at a common press conference with his Algerian counterpart Mourad Medeleci.
There are no reactions so far.
Be the first user to react to this article.
You will only have to select the button <<REACT>> and fill the indicated fields.
Your reaction
Your reaction has been sent to FRANCE 24. Thank you for your feedback.
France 24 - Send by e-mail
The article has successfully been sent by email
