The French president and the German chancellor must meet again this Saturday, November 10 in Compiegne, in the clearing of Rethondes where was signed the armistice of the war of 1914-18.
One hundred years after the end of the First World War, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel meet again this Saturday at the clearing of the armistice in Compiègne (Oise), penultimate stage of the "memorial roaming" of the Head of State before the ceremony of 11-November in Paris.
The President and the German Chancellor are expected around 3:30 pm at the Rethondes clearing for a review of the Franco-German Brigade troops, the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and the laying of a common wreath.
Signature of the Golden Book
The two leaders will then sign the Golden Book in the wagon where were signed the armistice of November 11, 1918 and that of June 22, 1940. "It is a highly symbolic trip, it is the first Franco-German trip On the site since the Second World War, it is said at the Elysee.
"We are in the footsteps of Chancellor Helmut Kohl and President François Mitterrand" who appeared hand in hand in 1984 in Verdun. Compiegne, "it is the place of the revenge, it will be the place of the ultimate reconciliation if need be" . The two leaders will gather Sunday for the traditional ceremony of 11-November under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the presence of sixty heads of state and government, including Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
The German chancellor will open in the afternoon the first edition of the "Forum for Peace" , "a symbolic gesture that reflects the reconciliation and Franco-German friendship" according to the Elysee.