June 2, 2008 -- With the thaw in Franco-Algerian relations seen during President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's reign, many Algerians are wondering if their nation will join the International Francophone Organisation (OIF) in the months remaining before the group's summit, to be held October 16th-19th in Quebec City.
While Algeria has expressed no official wish to join La Francophonie, statements made May 25th by Quebec's Minister of International Relations and Francophone Affairs during a visit to the country have fuelled speculation in the local press that Algeria may join the OIF.
Monique Gagnon-Tremblay said she had sensed a "willingness on the part of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the President of Algeria, to join the Francophone Organisation during talks I had with him," adding that "Algeria is a member of La Francophonie in heart and in spirit."
Her remarks drew a response on May 28th by Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, who said that "attending the Francophone Summit is one thing, while joining the OIF is quite another," hinting that Algeria may have no intention of joining the organisation.
Although Algeria is the second-largest French-speaking country in the world with 25 million speakers, it has never joined La Francophonie and boycotted the organisation's summits from 1986 to 2002, when it participated in Beirut. At the time Abdelaziz Belkhadem, then head of the Algerian diplomatic service, said that Algeria has much to gain from joining La Francophonie, and it was later announced that Algeria would probably join on the occasion of the 2006 Bucharest summit.
Despite improvements in Algerian-French relations, this goal has never been achieved.
"From a cultural and political point of view, Algeria has nothing to gain from joining," political analyst Karim Mohsen said. "Algeria's interests are already safeguarded in the bilateral agreements it has signed with French-speaking countries."
In his view, Algeria ought to remain a French-speaking country outside the OIF. "This organisation is run by France, the world’s biggest French-speaking country with over 60 million inhabitants. In terms of diplomacy, Algeria cannot have the power it would like within this body," he asserted. However, he argued, the country may use the issue of its entry into La Francophonie - a major goal for France - as a bargaining chip in its negotiations over the Mediterranean Union.
Mohsen believes the words of the Quebecois minister in Algiers do not point to any firm commitment on Algeria's part. He suggested that President Bouteflika may have simply expressed Algeria's interest in the organisation, without making any commitments.
Member of parliament Ahmed Saidi of the Movement of Society for Peace disagrees. He told
Magharebia, "It is to Algeria's advantage to enter spheres of interest all over the world so that it can negotiate on and safeguard its interests, including the OIF, which could serve as a platform from which it can defend its stance on international conflicts."
Said Bouhadja of the National Liberation Front said Algeria should "take its time in weighing the pros and cons before joining this organisation. First it needs to establish why it ought to be a full member, and what benefits it might bring for Algeria."