La Sarkozie et la politique africaine de la France: ATT, l'indomptable ou l'imprudent?

In Libreville Sarkozy, before Oumar Bongo, wants to embody the break in France's Africa policy, saying loudly that he does not belong to the generation of African independence and that he did not even networks to ensure what we used to call, Françafrique, ie relations also preferred that the dark France has maintained (formally and informally) with its former colonies since the time of De Gaulle and its Mr. Africa, Jacques Foccart.

It is true that Ali Bongo is not Oumar Bongo, Blaise Compaore and ADO do this or not Felix Houphouet Boigny.

Also, Henry Guaino (special advisor to Sarkozy and his pen in many of these including the highly controversial speech in Dakar in 2007) and Claude Gueant, "the best" according to Sarkozy policeman, also a very powerful secretary general at the Elysée (then Interior Minister), the gentleman of impossible missions (like James Bond 007) including the release of Bulgarian nurses by Gaddafi or the release of the French spy Pierre Camatte in northern Mali by AQIM , as influential and effective they are, these two lieutenants Sarkozy, are far from the frame of Jacques Foccart.

But still, African politics of France has in fact been no rupture Sarkozy as its outline was preserved.

The "networks" has informally continued to be supplied by the particular sulfur Bourgi Robert, who learned everything from the thundering Foccart and Patrick Balkany, mayor of Levallois Perret in Upper De-Seine, Sarkozy's personal friend.

The relationships continued to be maintained including Oumar Bongo until his death which could boast of getting fired the secretary of state government cooperation Fillon (Jean Marie Bockel), Denis Sassou-N'Geussou (which even Transparency International can not worry on French soil), Blaise Compaore (the good student), and ADO Ivorian President elected and installed by the Elysee, forcibly, and the nice man contracts for France to Bouygues and Bolloré.

Adversity against any French head of state who is not calibrated for such relationships continued with Gbagbo, Dadis then ATT.

French interests have been defended with vigor and determination that is for the oil (for Total) for Uranium (Areva) for major works (for Bouygues and Bolloré) and services (Orange, Vivendi, Bnp ...) and the arms contracts and transport (Alstom and Dassault) particularly in North Africa.

From this perspective, Gaddafi was received at the Elysée in 2007 with honors (with implantation of tents in the Hotel Marigny and impressive convoys of forty vehicles in Paris for sightseeing of the highlights of the capital by Prince of days) in hopes of being able to sign lucrative contracts to arms-billion euros.

Digest of Jamariya had the audacity and arrogance of not honoring that commitment was firm and yet received a dented the country's image "of human rights" that Rama Yade (then Secretary of bubbling French state for human rights) has not failed to remind him in one of the hard words which she has the secret.

In early 2011, diplomacy Alliot-Marie, at Quai D'Orsay, roundly mistaken on Tunisia and early spring Arab, as it brings to the French National Assembly, without complex, its support for the regime Ben Ali and Trabelsi .

Michelle Alliot-Marie, head of French diplomacy then, is itself involved in a compromising trip to Tabarka in Tunisia, to be spending his Christmas holidays in 2010 at the expense of close to Ben Ali and all with private jet.

Bad time for French diplomacy with the Arab world in early 2011 to the extent that this is Christine Lagarde (the epitome of class and elegance to the French), however, Minister of Economy and Finance the time, which will make the trip to Tunis to attempt reconciliation with Tunisian after the fall of Ben Ali instead of Michele Aliot-Marie.

So when the wave of Arab Spring arrives in Libya, Sarkozy has an unexpected opportunity to "skin" to Gaddafi and give him the money in his room for his affront to 2007 while redorant the crest of the French diplomacy and leadership on internationally and gain height, so, on the internal political scene, by boosting its popularity was seriously damaged with record unpopularity because of the crisis since 2007.

The philosopher "to his shirt open" (to quote the New York Times), Bernard Henry Levy, VRP is the root of the Elysee in the Libyan case, it is responsible to contact members of the French CNT, National Council of Transition Libya in its stronghold of Benghazi, through endless trips between Paris and Benghazi.

Sarkozy, is active, but Gaddafi and his "mercenary" resist and even reverse the steam and are on the verge of taking Benghazi and "rats", the epicenter of protest against his regime.

In extremis, French diplomacy comes to vote at the Security Council of the UN, the controversial resolution 1973 of fly zones in Libya to prevent that NATO planes of the Gaddafi regime to bomb the Libyan people.

The rest is history.

Most Francophone African leaders supported France in its "crusade" (in the words of Claude Gueant) in Libya, but not ATT, worse it does not recognize the CNT as all its neighbors except Algeria.

ATT even became very good friends with Jacob Zuma, very back against Sarkozy in the implementation of resolution 1973, by NATO to the point where he curtly declined the invitation of Sarkozy at a summit in Paris on Libya with countries members of the contact group to which the African Union was invited.

The irritation at the Elysée and the Quai d'Orsay was at its height, especially as there are troublesome precedents Koulouba with the tenant.

It did not bother to sign agreements with France on immigration chosen (candidate's campaign promise of Sarkozy in 2007) nor with Hortefeux, nor with Eric Besson, nor with Claude Gueant, the great gentlemen "numbers" of "deportation" of governments instead Beauvau Sarkozy in Paris.

On oil exploration in northern Mali, Sonatrach (Algeria) and Eni (Italy) are the front line for a first exploration drilling was planned in this year 2012 (research and non-operating, I specify) Total all to shame ( France) with envy for anyone who knows the potential of four sedimentary basins divided into 25 blocks of northern Mali, part of which are the subject of exploration contracts and operating agreements with ATT by the governments of the countries of multinational corporations often emerging in the nose and beard Paris and Total.

Worse, ATT does not want French military bases on Malian soil, and "not doing enough" in the fight against AQIM has declared war on France because of its campaign in Afghanistan and its law "anti -burqa "by engaging in the taking of French hostages in the Sahel and transformed easily into northern Mali sanctuary to sabotage French interests in the region.

Paris is small, powerless, to make unexpected and sporadic actions with the Mauritanian armed Nigerian and every hostage-taking French because of the cooperation agreements between both countries and Mali, which gave them rights to sue on their respective soils .

So how do you tame the untamable ATT or unwise?
There remains the question Touareg.

That's good because France is home to the Tuareg MNLA.

Contacts are made by officials of the Quai d'Orsay, discreetly, in France and Switzerland.

And curiously Tuareg fighters abandon Gaddafi and return laden with impressive convoys of heavy weapons to Mali.

RFI and France 24, the formidable machinery of communication at the Quai D'Orsay in Africa, providing the communications department of the "deal Tuareg" where fighters are carefully distinguished MNLA of AQIM and its allies Ansar Dine Iyad Ag Ghali and their war crimes, even though they fight all the same Malian army in the same territory without ever fight each other.

Curious!

And the new head of French diplomacy, Alain Juppe, "the rebels had significant military success" before the fall of Tessalit.

And for him, when he came to see ATT Koulouba "there is no military solution" to the conflict in northern Mali.

But after the defeat of the Malian army, when the superiority of Ansar Dine and AQIM on the strengths of MNLA has become obvious, yet it is French diplomacy which alert on "Islamic danger" to the UN and provides support to ECOWAS for a possible military intervention in the north while turning its sub-regional networks in Mauritania, Burkina for a chance to bargain with the MNLA and give his violins with Algeria "essential partner" in the case of northern Mali.

So I do not know if it is in diplomacy with variable geometry, but "the best of us" according to Jacques Chirac, Juppe what we must explain how "there are no military solution" and simultaneously support a possible involvement of ECOWAS.

RFI for the outpourings of women in Kati, and the violence that followed in Bamako to denounce the management of the war by ATT, "It would be very difficult for ATT to face two fronts simultaneously" north and south .

Curious announcement, when we know the risks "of new Tuareg rebellion" in northern Mali have been announced by the same Rfi since November 2011, more than two months before hostilities began on 01/17/2012.

The ambassador of France in Bamako was among the first to make the trip to Kati, after March 22, 2012 to meet Captain Sanogo.

Again curious approach and a symbol for the representative of a country that has championed democracy in Côte d'Ivoire a sudden bombing helicopters.

My dear friends and was, Sarkozy's Africa policy during his only five years, the Sarkosie.