France does not want “war with Algeria” but the North African nation is “aggressing” France by refusing to accept deportees, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Wednesday.
“We are not bellicose, we do not want war with Algeria. It is Algeria that is aggressing us,” Retailleau told Sud Radio.
The minister’s comments mark a significant escalation in rhetoric, coming just two days after France suspended a visa exemption agreement for Algerian diplomatic passport holders.
Retailleau described the visa suspension as the first step in what he called a “graduated response” to Algeria‘s position, warning that further actions could follow.
“We have begun implementing it with the suspension of facilities for the Algerian nomenklatura [political elite],” the minister said.
The diplomatic row intensified on Monday when Algeria firmly rejected a list of deportable citizens provided by Paris, stating its “categorical rejection of threats, attempts at intimidation, injunctions and ultimatums” from France.
“The graduated response allows us to say ‘we are not the aggressor’,” Retailleau said.
The French minister accused Algiers of obstructing repatriation efforts, saying: “Algeria must not haggle when we have proof, with an identity document and a passport, that the person is Algerian. They must be readmitted.”