Emmanuel Macron

The Transatlantic Alliance Will Survive Just Fine

Media and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are hyping the idea that President Trump's attempt to gain sovereign control of Greenland has caused unprecedented and irreparable damage to the over 75 year-old Transatlantic Alliance.  This "analysis" stems from multiple sources.  On both sides of the ocean, there are those who pounce on any ...

Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s internal reforms and consolidation of state control.  Salam reiterated that the Lebanese state is committed to its goal of confiscating all non-state weapons on Lebanese territory. Macron stated that France will ...

Aoun Hails State Control of Arms and Pledges Continued Reforms

President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that the Lebanese government last year took a historic step by endorsing a plan aimed at confining weapons to state authority and extending state control over Lebanese territory exclusively through its own forces, calling the move a major turning point despite the challenges of implementation. Addressing ...

Aoun Welcomes French Role in Mechanism Committee, Reaffirms Commitment to Diplomacy

President Joseph Aoun told French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday that Lebanon is open to an enhanced French role within the framework of the “Mechanism Committee,” stressing that any such involvement must support the committee’s core negotiation goals. During the meeting at Baabda Palace, Aoun outlined ...

France Makes 'Historic' Accord to Sell Ukraine 100 Warplanes

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 fighter jets and other hardware, including drones, in a boost for Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion. Delivery of the Rafale fighter jets, the crown jewel of French combat aviation, is only ...

The World Tired of Lebanon’s Stalling: A Possible Return to Syrian Influence?

The Lebanese file no longer provides meaningful political leverage for the countries involved. Neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor French President Emmanuel Macron has been able to exert decisive influence. A Western diplomatic source described the situation as exhausting and frustrating, noting that Lebanese officials often tell foreign ...

Macron Warns Any Planned West Bank Annexation a 'Red Line'

French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Tuesday that any Israeli plans for annexation in the West Bank would be a "red line" and would provoke a European reaction. He spoke as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Paris one month into a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the militant group's ...

Western Sahara: The Diplomatic Battle Rages On

The resolution extends the mandate without resolving the dispute. On October 31, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, extending MINURSO’s mandate—the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara established in 1991—for one year. The resolution passed with eleven votes in favor, none against, and ...

French Pair Released after 3-year Iran Jail Ordeal

Iran has released from prison a French pair held for more than three years and sentenced to lengthy jail sentences on espionage charges their families always rejected, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday. Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, both retired teachers, were both on a tourist visit to Iran when they were arrested ...

Ten People Go on Trial Over Online Harassment of French First Lady

Ten people went on trial in Paris Monday charged with sexist online harassment of Brigitte Macron, in the latest case linked to unsubstantiated gender claims thrown at the French first lady in France and beyond. The trial comes after she and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July, in ...

France's Former President Sarkozy Jailed, Proclaiming his Innocence

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former head of an EU state to be jailed Tuesday, proclaiming his innocence as he entered a Paris prison. France's right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty last month of seeking to acquire funding from Moammar Kadhafi's Libya for the campaign that saw him elected. AFP ...

Louvre Closes for Second Day as France Hunts Jewel Thieves

  The Louvre was closed for a second day Monday as police hunted for thieves who broke in and stole priceless jewels in a spectacular daylight robbery. Officials said a team of 60 investigators was working on the theory that an organised crime group was behind the theft Sunday of nine pieces of jewellery, one of which -- a crown covered in ...