“I will not go to Canossa.” Tebboune rules out visiting France news

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ruled out visiting France against the backdrop of renewed tension between the two countries in the recent period, and stressed that the “1968 Agreement” had become a “scarecrow” for the extreme right in France.

In response to a question about a possible visit to France, Tebboune said in a television interview yesterday, Saturday, “I will not go to Canossa.”

The expression “going to Canossa” was popularized by German Chancellor Bismarck at the end of the 19th century, and it means submitting to orders and asking for forgiveness. This expression refers to the procedure that the German Emperor Henry IV was forced to take in the 11th century, when he went to the Italian city of Canossa to ask Pope Gregory VII to lift his excommunication.

The Algerian President's visit to France has been postponed repeatedly since May 2023, and its last scheduled date was between the end of September and the beginning of this October.

But relations between Algeria and Paris cooled again after France announced at the end of last July its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

Algeria quickly recalled its ambassador to Paris, reduced its diplomatic representation, and retained a chargé d'affaires.

On the other hand, in his first media appearance after his re-election to a second presidential term last September, the Algerian President spoke about the “memory file” related to the French colonial period in Algeria (1830 to 1962), and said, “We want the historical truth and demand recognition of the massacres he committed.” French colonialism, which was purely settler.”

He referred to the issue of French nuclear tests in Algeria, and said to France, “If you want to be friends, come and clean up the nuclear test sites.”

Between 1960 and 1966, France conducted 17 nuclear tests in several locations in the Algerian desert. Documents declassified in 2013 revealed that there are still significant radioactive fallout extending from West Africa to Southern Europe.

Tebboune considered the French-Algerian agreement of 1968 It has become a right-wing “scarecrow and political slogan for an extremist minority” in France that calls for its review.

In December 2023, the French National Assembly rejected a text asking the authorities to cancel the agreement that grants Algerians a special status in terms of movement, residence and work rights in France.

A previous meeting between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (French)

Amending the Constitution

On the internal level, the Algerian president was not ruled out Amending the current constitution approved in 2020, which limits the presidential term to only two terms.

He said, “If there is an urgent and logical request to amend the electoral law and the constitution, we will do so to amend a clause or article that we may find unfair, because the goal is to realize the dream of the martyrs and build a democratic state that protects the weak and the poor.”

Regarding early general elections, Tebboune replied, “It cannot be certain that prior local and legislative elections will be held, but we may resort to that if circumstances require.”

Tebboune revealed that investigations had been conducted within the Independent National Election Monitoring Authority, to uncover all actions that led to discrepancies during the announcement of the results of the presidential elections that took place on September 7, and he promised to announce the results of the investigations to public opinion soon.

He reiterated that there are no prisoners of conscience in Algeria, pointing to the launch of a “national dialogue” between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.

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