DJERBA, Tunisia — The world’s French-speaking countries gathered
in
Tunisia on Saturday for talks focused on economic cooperation, but faced
calls to do more to resolve international crises.
اضافة اعلان
The head of the
International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) urged the organization to
use its clout in a world “fractured” by multiple crises.
“The IOF must
remain a link that can be used to prevent tensions from degenerating into
conflicts,” said Louise Mishikiwabo, a former Rwandan chief diplomat.
Around 30 heads
of state and government, including French and Senegalese presidents Emmanuel
Macron and
Macky Sall, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are
at the summit on the southern Tunisian resort island of Djerba.
The event is a
diplomatic boon for President Kais Saied, whose government has faced international
criticism since a sweeping power grab last year.
While the two-day
meeting and an associated economic forum will officially focus on technology
and development, it is also an opportunity for Western and African leaders to
discuss issues like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mishikiwabo did
not mention that conflict in her speech, but Macron’s aides said he was to
discuss it with other leaders.
Many African
countries have decried what they see as a lack of international solidarity in
the face of crises on their continent, in sharp contrast with European nations’
swift support for Kyiv.
Earlier, Macron
said the IOF should reclaim its diplomatic role, also noting that in North
Africa the use of French has declined over the past decades.
But he added that
French remains “the universal language of the African continent”.
Macron, who also
attended the G20 summit in Bali and the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) earlier this week, is not due to deliver a speech at the conference.
‘Totally powerless’
The summit will belatedly
mark the 50th anniversary of the now 88-strong bloc whose members, such as
Armenia and Serbia, are not all French-speaking.
Some 321 million people around the world speak
French, a number expected to reach 750 million in 2050.
Mushikiwabo said the bloc today is “more pertinent
than ever”, adding that promoting “peace, democracy and human rights” is also
part of the OIF’s mission.
But Senegalese civil society figure Alioune Tine
said the group has shown itself to be “totally powerless in the face of
fraudulent elections, third mandates (of African leaders) and military coups”
in Mali, Guinea, Chad and Burkina Faso.
Normally held every two years, the meeting was
postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was delayed again last year after Saied sacked
the government and suspended parliament, later dissolving the legislature
entirely in moves condemned by Western nations including France and Canada.
French political researcher Vincent Geisser said
hosting the summit would help Saied “leave his isolation — at least
temporarily”.
Saied said he wanted the conference to bring
“tangible and effective” solutions to global problems.
“It’s up to us to dream of a better world for all of
humanity, and of universal development based on justice and freedom,” he said.
Summit coordinator Mohamed Trabelsi told AFP the
meeting was a recognition of Tunisia’s role among French-speaking nations and
of its “regional and international diplomacy”.
It is also an opportunity to strengthen economic
cooperation, Trabelsi said.
On Saturday Macron’s office announced a
200-million-euro loan to Tunisia, which is in the final stages of talks with
the International Monetary Fund for a $2-billion bailout package for its
crippled economy.
But an official from OIF heavyweight Canada said
Ottawa wanted to echo concerns for democracy following Saied’s power grab.
Tunisia is confronted by a deep economic crisis that
has pushed a growing number of its people to try to reach Europe.
Seeking to draw delegates’ attention to the issue,
hundreds of protesters tried Friday to highlight the disappearance of 18
Tunisians aboard a boat that set out in September.
Police prevented them from reaching Djerba.
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