Europe 1 7:18 p.m., September 28, 2021, modified at 7:52 p.m., September 28, 2021

In the program "Punchline" co-broadcast on Europe 1 and CNEWS, former President Nicolas Sarkozy returned to the "pardon" in the name of France addressed by Emmanuel Macron to the Harkis. "The president was right to apologize", underlines the former head of state, who qualifies the unworthy reception of these soldiers in France of "stain on the French flag".

Nicolas Sarkozy applauds Emmanuel Macron's decision to send a "pardon" to the Harkis, these Algerian soldiers who fought for the French army during the Algerian War.

Invited in the

Punchline program

co-

broadcast

on Europe 1 and CNEWS, the former head of state welcomes this position.

"The president was right to apologize on behalf of France. We let them down. I am a Gaullist, but the way we treated the harkis is a stain on the French flag," he said. to Laurence Ferrari.

"Repentance in all sauces is no"

"The way in which we did not welcome the Pieds-Noirs is a stain", continues the former president, recalling that he had already approved the speech of the Vel d'Hiv of Jacques Chirac who had recognized the responsibility of France in the deportation of thousands of Jews. "Yes, it is the French state, we can not dispute it. But systematic repentance in all sauces, anyhow, it is no", tempers Nicolas Sarkozy.

The former president looks back on his discussions about the Algerian War with Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the country's former head of state who died in early September.

"He told me to go to the monument to the revolution in Algiers," he says.

"I agreed because there was suffering on the Algerian side. But on one condition: I want to go with an Algerian minister to the Jewish cemetery of Algiers and to the Christian cemetery", confides Nicolas Sarkozy .

An insufficient number of visas granted to the "Pieds-Noirs"

The former head of state returned to the question of the number of visas granted between the two countries, which is unequal according to him.

"We give thousands to the Algerians to come to France. But us, when it is a 'Pied-noir' who wants to return there, he has no right. I cannot accept that there is no have no reciprocity ", proclaims Nicolas Sarkozy.

A position that echoes the decision of the current French government to drastically reduce the number of visas granted to Maghreb countries.