The President of Tunisia Qays said was the first foreign leader to visit France since the beginning of the pandemic coronavirus. The main topic of his talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron was the situation in Libya. But this is not the only issue that required an urgent visit to Paris. The meeting of the presidents took place less than two weeks after the debate in the Tunisian Parliament over the bill, to require from France compensation for the suffering “from the pain of colonization”. A similar document is currently being discussed in Algeria.After pandemically first visit to Paris Kaisa said, elected President of Tunisia in October last year, was organized on the initiative of France. Qais Saeed became the first high-ranking foreign politician, who arrived in Paris after the withdrawal of the French side of the constraints associated with a coronavirus. For the Tunisian President’s first official visit to Europe. According to the analytical edition of the Africa Intelligence that President Emmanuel macron wanted to discuss over dinner with Mr. Saeed, “three of a delicate question”: In the course of the meeting the President macron announced the allocation to Tunisia of a loan of €350 million to support the economy affected by the pandemic coronavirus. However, without the coronavirus in the country which was almost ten years ago the birthplace of the “Arab spring”, do not stop the unrest associated with high unemployment. As noted by Africa Intelligence, a certain amount of money — the price for the loyalty of Tunisia, who was caught between two fires — Turkey and France in the Libyan conflict.Between Paris and Aneroids President of Macron countering Turkey’s influence in Libya and North Africa in General is one of the important foreign policy issues. France is considered to be one of the parties that support the commander of the Libyan national army, Khalifa the Haftarot, while Turkey is providing military assistance based in Tripoli, the national consensus Government (NTC). The latest spiral of tension in relations between Ankara and Paris arose last week after Turkish warships prevented the French frigate to inspect a cargo ship bound for Libya under their protection.”What was done last week under NATO command off the coast of Libya, I find it unacceptable. And I refer you to the statements that were made by me late last year about “brain death” of NATO. I think this is one of the best demonstrations”,— commented on the incident in the Mediterranean sea during a press conference with Chisom said President Makron. He also accused Turkey of “dangerous games” in Libya and stressed that France and Tunisia together require that the parties to the Libyan conflict to cease fire and resume negotiations. The President said nothing. Three weeks ago, the phone times��aware he assured the Emmanuel Macron, Tunisia appreciates its sovereignty and not become a rear base for any camp. However, this actually already happened.After the events of the Arab spring, Ankara has provided significant financial support to the new authorities of Tunisia, hoping to expand its influence in North Africa that was once part of the Ottoman Empire, including through the Islamist party, similar in ideology to the Association “Muslim brotherhood” (banned in Russia), which is shared by the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, this situation is not like all. A month ago, the deputies of four parliamentary blocs issued a joint statement demanding that the speaker of Parliament and leader of the Islamist party “ennahda” Rashid Ghannouchi is not to interfere in the country’s foreign policy. It happened after he congratulated the national consensus Government of Libya with the capture located near the Tunisian border airbase “El Batya”.Newly elected President Mr. Saeed is trying to avoid a situation where he will have to choose between Paris and Ankara, as if the two sides never pushed him to this decision. President Erdogan arrived in Tunisia in December, just two months after presidential and parliamentary elections in this country, when there was a battle between different political camps over the formation of a government. He wrote then of the Tunisian media, the visit was a decision by the Turkish President, Tunisia was not invited. But Mr. Saeed was invited by the President Makron. His hand plays the discontent of the Tunisian military and political elite, including the Kaisa said, claims Parliament speaker Ghannouchi to influence domestic and foreign policy issues that are the prerogative of the President. In this position, Kaisa said to coincide with French interests.Wounds prologues one concern of Paris was held two weeks ago, the debate in Parliament of Tunisia around the bill, demanded from France a formal apology for the colonial past, the payment of compensation, as well as of declassification of archival files of those years. The draft document was presented to the Islamist party “Karama” (“Dignity”) on may 12, but in the end held on 9 June, the vote coincided with the unrest that erupted in the US after the death of the African-American George Floyd and spread to other Western countries as protests against the heritage of the colonial era and racism. It is symbolic that on the day when the President of Tunisia arrived in Paris, in the French capital were subjected to acts of vandalism two monuments — Voltaire and the Marshal Hubert Lyautey, who held the post of Minister of defence in 1916 and 1917, and before that directing the order in Indochina and North Africa. OnBA monument painted red paint.Talking to Mr. Saeed in Paris was facilitated by the fact that the Tunisian Parliament failed to pass a bill. After the debate, which lasted 14 hours, he was voted only 77 members of Parliament at a necessary minimum 109 votes. 89 deputies simply did not show up to the meeting. The initiators of the project noted that the apologies of Paris “will heal the wounds of the past”. They cited the example of Germany, which has apologised to France after the Second world war, and “now these two countries are allies and key partners in Europe.” It is also important that in France there are about a million Tunisians. Many Tunisian politicians expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the “Karama” spends time discussing the populist ideas and improve their political rating, while Tunisia has many other pressing issues, including the economic crisis and the fight against coronavirus.Despite the failure of the bill, Paris still has his concerns. According to media reports, the French diplomats warned Rashid Ghannouchi that this situation should not be repeated. Otherwise, they promised to publish the data about the members of party “An-Nahda” and “Karama”, which has business interests in France, as well as dual citizenship, although publicly they criticize Paris.During the war for the independence of Algeria (1954-1962), according to various estimates, have died from 500 thousand to 1 million Algerians and more than 15 thousand soldiers of the French army and fought on their side the Algerians. Attempts to pass a law requiring an apology from France, Algerian parliamentarians are making in 2006. This year the discussion was back on the agenda by the decision of the President to appoint a New Tabuna may 8 National day of remembrance in honor of the Algerian uprising of 1945, which, according to estimates of Algerians, killing more than 40 thousand citizens of the country. “This massacre has finally shown the true face of French colonialism. Bloody and brutal repression tyrannical occupier will remain a blot on the forehead of the colonialists, oppress the rights of Algerians during the 132 years. These crimes do not disappear, despite many years and numerous attempts to erase it”,— said the President of Algeria, that did not prevent him a few days later to talk about the importance of relations with France. This week the Algerian Parliament continued the discussion on the topic, promising to complete work on the bill on crimes of the French colonialists.For all the past years, Paris has never apologized to Tunisia and Algeria, although in the statements of some politicians and sounded the recognition errors of the colonial past. “Over 132 years Algeria was subjected to a brutal and unfair system: colonization. I acknowledge the suffering it caused”,— SKAZAL in 2012, French President Francois Hollande, speaking in the Parliament of Algeria. Similarly expressed and Emmanuel macron, while still a presidential candidate. “This is a crime — a crime against humanity. This present barbarism, a part of the past that we should stand face to face and apologize to those to whom this all happened, he said in 2017.— At the same time digging up the past is not worth it. I like talking about Algeria: France established in Algeria a rule of human rights, but forgot to read these rights”.”Tunisia and Algeria are different attitude to colonialism. For Algeria, the struggle for independence became an important part of national identity, and still the attitude towards this issue affects the internal politics. Generation of independence fighters still alive. For Tunisia the theme is more minor. But in any case, for both countries an important fact of France’s recognition of its guilt for the past,— said “Kommersant” expert of the centre for Arab and Islamic studies, Institute of Oriental studies Anastasia Vasilenko.— That still is not made at the official level, hurt and Tunisians, and Algerians. In addition, Tunisians are sensitive to the fact that sound occasionally from the mouths of French politicians word about the crimes of the time concern only Algeria like the French had in Tunisia.”Marianna Belenkaya, Galina Dudina
