Top French diplomat proclaims ‘new phase’ in Algeria ties

ALGIERS: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed hope on Sunday for a “new phase” in relations with Algeria, during a visit aimed at mending a major diplomatic rift.

After a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Barrot said that “we expressed the shared desire to... enter a new phase” and “rebuild a partnership of equals”. Relations between Paris and Algiers came under strain last year, when France recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria has long backed the pro-independence Polisario Front.