Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ALGIERS1119
2008-10-15 17:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Algiers
Cable title:
TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN: ALGERIA'S FRANCOPHONE
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UNCLAS ALGIERS 001119
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EDU FR AG
SUBJECT: TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN: ALGERIA'S FRANCOPHONE
DILEMMA
UNCLAS ALGIERS 001119
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EDU FR AG
SUBJECT: TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN: ALGERIA'S FRANCOPHONE
DILEMMA
1. (SBU) Despite the lack of an official announcement by the
Algerian government, MFA contacts tell us that President
Bouteflika will attend and give a speech at the twelfth
Summit of Heads of State of the International Organization of
Francophone Countries (OIF). The summit, to be held from
October 17-19 in Quebec City, will be a stop on the
President's visit to the province, during which he will also
celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city.
Never a member and only recently a quasi-observer, Algeria
has long been leery of the OIF, given its Arabization
campaign dating back to the 1970s. Bouteflika's comments at
the summit may indicate whether Algeria intends to finally
embrace the organization, and in doing so, formally accept
the francophone identity Algeria has struggled for decades to
escape.
2. (U) With approximately 25 million French speakers, Algeria
is the second most populous francophone nation in the world
after France. Since independence, however, Algeria has
rejected offers to join the OIF or benefit from its
assistance programs. In one of his speeches, President
Boumediene went so far as to refer to the organization as "a
retailer of neo-colonialism." Still, other national leaders
have been more open about possible cooperation with the
organization. Former Prime Minister Sid Ahmed Ghozali once
stated that "the francophony should be considered a framework
and a forum for dialogue."
3. (SBU) During his presidency, Bouteflika appears to have
sought a policy of cautious rapprochement with the OIF. At
the behest and persistence of former French President Jacques
Chirac, Bouteflika attended the 2002 and 2004 summits as an
observer. He did not attend in 2006 and the current French
President does not appear to be putting the same pressure on
Bouteflika to participate.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Given that Algeria is still governed by the
same generation that fought in the war of independence, the
idea of joining the OIF is likely not a popular one within
the government. Nonetheless, Algeria has engaged with the
French government to improve the instruction of the French
language in public schools and membership in the OIF would
come with a significant assistance program including
scholarships and teacher training. At the 2002 summit,
Bouteflika declared that "French is an asset, not a threat",
but given that Algeria remains conflicted about such a
symbolic gesture, no one except Bouteflika knows what he will
say next week in Quebec.
PEARCE
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EDU FR AG
SUBJECT: TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN: ALGERIA'S FRANCOPHONE
DILEMMA
1. (SBU) Despite the lack of an official announcement by the
Algerian government, MFA contacts tell us that President
Bouteflika will attend and give a speech at the twelfth
Summit of Heads of State of the International Organization of
Francophone Countries (OIF). The summit, to be held from
October 17-19 in Quebec City, will be a stop on the
President's visit to the province, during which he will also
celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city.
Never a member and only recently a quasi-observer, Algeria
has long been leery of the OIF, given its Arabization
campaign dating back to the 1970s. Bouteflika's comments at
the summit may indicate whether Algeria intends to finally
embrace the organization, and in doing so, formally accept
the francophone identity Algeria has struggled for decades to
escape.
2. (U) With approximately 25 million French speakers, Algeria
is the second most populous francophone nation in the world
after France. Since independence, however, Algeria has
rejected offers to join the OIF or benefit from its
assistance programs. In one of his speeches, President
Boumediene went so far as to refer to the organization as "a
retailer of neo-colonialism." Still, other national leaders
have been more open about possible cooperation with the
organization. Former Prime Minister Sid Ahmed Ghozali once
stated that "the francophony should be considered a framework
and a forum for dialogue."
3. (SBU) During his presidency, Bouteflika appears to have
sought a policy of cautious rapprochement with the OIF. At
the behest and persistence of former French President Jacques
Chirac, Bouteflika attended the 2002 and 2004 summits as an
observer. He did not attend in 2006 and the current French
President does not appear to be putting the same pressure on
Bouteflika to participate.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Given that Algeria is still governed by the
same generation that fought in the war of independence, the
idea of joining the OIF is likely not a popular one within
the government. Nonetheless, Algeria has engaged with the
French government to improve the instruction of the French
language in public schools and membership in the OIF would
come with a significant assistance program including
scholarships and teacher training. At the 2002 summit,
Bouteflika declared that "French is an asset, not a threat",
but given that Algeria remains conflicted about such a
symbolic gesture, no one except Bouteflika knows what he will
say next week in Quebec.
PEARCE