“Access restriction” measures put in place against Algerian “dignitaries”, announces Jean-Noël Barrot

"Measures restricting movement and access to the national territory for certain Algerian dignitaries have been taken" by France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot revealed on BFMTV on Tuesday. "These are measures that are reversible and will end as soon as the cooperation we are calling for resumes," he added, on the eve of an interministerial meeting on immigration control against the backdrop of a major diplomatic crisis with Algiers. The head of French diplomacy did not specify how long these measures have been in force or how many people they targeted.

These measures were decided to "advance or defend the interests of the French" , he justified, mentioning the release of the writer Boualem Sansal imprisoned in Algeria or even "the readmission of Algerians in an irregular situation" . Jean-Noël Barrot also said he was "ready to take more" if Franco-Algerian cooperation "is not resumed" . "But I will always do it wisely and without necessarily advertising it" , he warned.

His statements come at a time when the position to adopt with regard to Algiers deeply divides the French government between supporters of the "balance of power" , like the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, and those who advocate the diplomatic route, like Jean-Noël Barrot.

On Saturday, a 37-year-old Algerian in an irregular situation was accused of stabbing one person to death and injuring seven others on Saturday in Mulhouse (Eastern France). Prime Minister François Bayrou has since blamed Algeria, deeming its refusal ten times to take back the alleged assailant "unacceptable" and promising to show the "determination" of Paris, which could take retaliatory measures as early as this week, particularly on visas.