L'Opinion: Algerian President Refuses Calls From Macron

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According to L'Opinion newspaper, French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly tried to call Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune to no avail, in an attempt to persuade him to participate in a conference on Lybia in Paris next Friday.

The French publication quoted a source saying Macron had previously sent a message through diplomatic channels to persuade the president to attend the conference in Paris.

The paper highlighted a source reporting that Macron "regretted" the misunderstanding with Algeria recently regarding his comments about Algeria's existence before colonial France.

The Algerian newspaper Al Nahar reported on a statement released by the Élysée which stressed Macron's respect for the Algerian nation, its history, and its sovereignty. 

Earlier, Tebboune considered Macron's statements whereby he questioned the existence of an Algerian nation before French colonialism as "extremely dangerous", pointing out that no people's history should be messed with, and the Algerians should never be humiliated. 

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra announced that the Algerian President will not participate in the Paris Conference on Peace in Lybia scheduled for next Friday.

A source in the French presidency expressed his "regret" at the controversy that followed President Emmanuel Macron's statements.

"The President of the Republic regrets the controversies and misunderstandings caused by the reported remarks," a senior presidential official, who asked to remain anonymous, told reporters.

French-Algerian relations are witnessing tensions following the statements of Macron, which were reported by the French newspaper Le Monde in October.