Algiers asks 12 agents from the French Embassy to leave Algerian territory within 48 hours, Paris threatens to reprisals. An “unjustified” decision, according to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, who comes three days after the indictment of three to men in Paris, one of which in an Algerian consultation.
Algiers asks 12 agents from the French Embassy to leave Algerian territory within 48 hours. Paris immediately replied by threatening reprisals. “I ask the Algerian authorities to give up these expulsion measures unrelated to the current legal proceedings,” said French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in a written declaration transmitted to journalists. “If the decision to return our agents was maintained, we will have no choice but to answer them immediately,” he added.
“State affair”
Three men, including one employee in one of the consulates of Algeria in France, were indicted Friday in Paris for arrest, kidnapping, forcible confinement or arbitrary detention followed by liberation before the 7th day, in relation to a terrorist enterprise, according to the National Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT).
In this case which concerns the opponent of the Algerian regime Amir Boukhors, influencer nicknamed Amir Dz, these men are also prosecuted for association of criminal terrorist criminals. They were placed in pre -trial detention.
Following these indictments, including the consular agent, the lawyer for Amir Dz Me Plouvier spoke of a “state affair” and the French interior minister Bruno Retailleau had mentioned “perhaps” an “act of foreign interference”.
Algeria: Macron sends a peace signal, disowned rebate – 03/03
“Unacceptable and unspeakable”
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs thundered on Saturday evening against “this new unacceptable and unspeakable development (which) will cause great damage to Algerian-French relations”. He undertook not to “leave this situation without consequences” and “received” on Saturday the French ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, to “express (s) to live protest”.
These words contrast with the announcement last week by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, of “a new phase” for relations between Paris and Algiers, after an interview with his counterpart Ahmed Attaf and especially with the Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Abdelmadjid Tebboune had acted a few days earlier the end of a crisis of rare intensity, which had led the two countries to the edge of diplomatic rupture.
