A Spanish Maghreb expert tells all about Algeria

Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Algeria brought with him the crème de la crème of the economic and cultural elite, as well as diplomacy and governance. Not a signatory to the Algiers Declaration of Renewed Partnership between France and Algeria Petro Canales, International Analyst More than the tip of the iceberg or even window dressing.

« For my part, I want to emphasize that there are problems between Paris and Algiers, but they are not as serious as we believe. Apologies for a century of colonialism are historical questions, common memory, but not the main question. “. In Onta Madrid, in the latest edition of ‘De Cara al Mundo’, he pointed out, defining the thought of Pedro Canales.

« In fact, France has control over relations with Algeria, and a large number of senior officials, ministers, gendarmes, soldiers, Algerian businessmen with dual citizenship, elite invest, buy factories, deposit money in banks in France. , sending its youth to study. Paris knows the ins and outs of corruption and nepotism in the country. France needs politico-military rule, as defined by Macron a few months ago, not the other way around. Algiers is presenting Macron’s visit as a triumph, but frankly I don’t think so ».

The question is whether France can encourage Algeria to move closer to the European side and be less aligned with Russia, or whether there is some intermediary between Spain and the United States, so that Morocco and Algeria can return to normal relations. Pedro Canales answered. ” Yes, in a sense, Macron is acting on behalf of the EU. The European Union, seen through the French prism, is not the same as the Union of Germans, Italians or Spaniards. Apparently, as stated in many media, if France needs Algerian gas, it agrees to open the Spain-France gas pipeline, but kept it secret because it wants to maintain its nuclear industry and sell nuclear power if possible. Algeria will need the plant sooner or later ».

To restore normal relations between Rabat and Algiers, Canales would say: ” Macron is actually going there on behalf of the European Union, but in terms of mediation I obviously see it as a bad idea, because in Rabat and Algiers Macron listens and takes seriously, the French president has strength, France has a lot of weight, but the crisis that has developed between Morocco and Algeria is very deep and has undoubted limits. reached, personal relations already so strained, I see mediation as a bad idea”

And add: There are rumors of a summit between King Mohammed VI and the Algerian president under Macron’s auspices. First of all speaking as Mohammed VI of Morocco, because he is the head of the country, I don’t know if the president of Algeria, the head of the country, has the authority to say anything. Because the people in charge of the country’s affairs are the military, they will never meet the Moroccan head of state, they can meet the military, where the United States and maybe indirectly France can mediate with the military, but the politicians, I see it as bad. ».

Regarding Algeria’s relationship with Europe, Petro Canales said that Algeria cannot live without Europe. We are the ones who buy his stuff and sell to him. Except for the military industry, part of it belongs to the Russians, but the rest, which is the foundation of the Algerian economy, depends on Europe, so Algeria will benefit the most from this rapprochement. ».

Algeria raises its voice only with the weak, but not with the strong who defend the Petro Canals. ” Not with the United States, the only country to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. The United States is more powerful than Spain, France or Germany, and little criticism can come not only of the Sahara, but also of Palestine, which the Algerians defend in principle. In short, with the weak, Algeria raises its voice and exerts force, but with the strong, it does not. “, reports the Atalaiyar news site.

Also, Pedro Canales concludes that the Algerian military certainly holds power, but because there are many centers and many struggles they do not exercise it in a coordinated and unanimous manner. We should also not forget that the military and the elites live by selling hydrocarbons to the West, and with the money received from these transactions they buy weapons, build their own networks and internal lobby. So even though it’s half as big, the bottom is clay, and as the water rises, the silt disintegrates, as has been the case for the past three years. They managed to control it, but it still disappeared.

The Algerian regime controls, supports, arms and welcomes Polisario separatists on its soil to the detriment of Morocco’s interests, Spanish geopolitical expert Pedro Canales has always insisted that, far from defending Polisario theses, the Algerian regime’s machinations are aimed at destabilizing Morocco. “Obviously, from my experience on this issue (…) I can assure you that the Algerian regime does not trust the Polisario, but still wants to use it to achieve its objectives.»