More than 22,000 Algerians living in France due to be expelled
Ech-Chorouk, on Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Diplomatic sources were quoted as saying that one of the major topics discussed by the French and Algerian delegations during the French president’s state visit to Algeria was the immigration issue.
The same sources revealed that the situation of some 22,000 to 25,000 illegal immigrants living in France that the French authorities decided to expel during the year 2006 was discussed by the two sides.
As regards this hot issue, it was said that Algeria will not discuss the French position providing that Paris has to precise the identity of the deported immigrants.
First figures released by the French authorities dealing with Algerians living illegally in France showed that some 350.000 people.
According to the French ambassador to Algeria M François Pageollet among these immigrants there many Algerian students who carried their studies in France and refused to return to their home country after their post graduation.
This situation requires an urgent intervention to find a definite issue to the pending problem between both countries, especially that the number of asylum-seekers between 1992 and 2007 reached the startling 40,000.
On the other hand, The French president declared that he was not against the move of the individuals between the two countries, and figures show that some 34% visas denial have been recorded in 2002 , which far from the 80% noticed in the past.
In previous meetings between the Algerian foreign minister, Mourad Medelci and his French opposite number, this one called for the loosening of the procedures between both countries as concerns this issue, mentioning that it is somehow contradictory to was contradictory call for the opening of the Algerian market for European goods and limit the movement of the peoples at the same time.
Story by: Mustapha Ferhhat / Translated by: HAKIM.A
