Ghannouchi: ” I haven’t come to Algeria!”

It all started with an information revealed by the “Al-Arab” newspaper based in London, citing sources close to Tunisia’s Ennahda Advisory Council, purporting that the President of the Movement “Ennahda”, Mr. Rached Ghannouchi, recently went on board a private jet bound for Algeria where he met with several advisers to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika at the Palace of El Mouradia just after his arrival at Houari Boumediene international airport of Algiers.

According to this newspaper, during this brief visit, consultations regarding the next formation of a national unity government were the focus of this brief meeting, with some sources saying that the current political crisis in Tunisia in the light of the initiative of the Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, for the formation of a national unity government was largely discussed.

According to the sources, this short visit to Algeria of the leader of Ennahda, which comes after the one paid to Paris, were part of Ghannouchi visits after the failure of the second round of consultations on the initiative pertaining to the projected formation a national unity government in Tunisia.

But the latter, against all odds, has denied this but said he is preparing, however, to visit Algeria again to meet President Bouteflika as he did last time, in March, during which he expressed Tunisia’s gratitude to the President of the Republic, the Government and people of Algeria for their highly-appreciated solidarity and support, in the economic, security and military field for Tunisia in its sustained fight against the terrorism scourge.

However, Mr Ghannouchi confirmed he was in France, last week where he was received by the Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, and the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the National Assembly, Elisabeth Guigou, in order to promote bilateral relations between France and Tunisia.