13 Jul 2025 14:12 PM Macron urges European Union to firmly defend European interests
The French president called on the European Commission to "accelerate preparations for credible countermeasures, mobilizing all the tools at its disposal, if an agreement is not reached by August 1."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LBCI
3 hours ago
- LBCI
France to recognise Palestinian state in September, Macron says
France will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, adding that he hoped it would help bring peace to the region. Macron, who announced the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to become the first major Western power to recognise a Palestinian state. Reuters
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Salam says he feels 'reassured' after meeting Macron in Paris
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, as part of the premier's first official visit to France since his appointment in January. In a message posted on X following the meeting, Salam said he felt "reassured" by his exchanges with the French president. "I thank France for its constant support for Lebanon, its security, its sovereignty and its prosperity. I am returning to Beirut reassured by President Macron's commitments on aid to Lebanon, the renewal of UNIFIL, and the strengthening of our bilateral ties in the areas of security, the economy, education and culture," he wrote. According to L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent, discussions focused on bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and France in administrative, financial and judicial matters, as well as on reforms undertaken by Beirut in these sectors. The ongoing institutional crisis in Lebanon, as well as security tensions in the south of the country, were at the heart of the talks, in particular coordination between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, in a context in which Israeli strikes and incursions have continued on an almost daily basis in southern Lebanon, despite the cease-fire that came into effect in Lebanon on Nov. 24, 2024, ending the war between Hezbollah and Israel. The effects of a recent episode of intercommunal violence in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in southern Syria were also discussed. Relations between Beirut and Damascus, with an emphasis on ongoing efforts to encourage the return of Syrian refugees to their country, were also addressed. Salam confirmed during an exchange with journalists at the Lebanese embassy that a new Franco-Lebanese conference is to be held soon, ahead of future international meetings aimed at mobilizing aid for Lebanon. An international aid conference for Lebanon was organized in Paris in October 2024 during the previous autumn war. According to a statement issued the previous day by the French presidency, the "strengthening of the Lebanese armed forces" as well as "the consequences of the war in Iran" and the situation in the Gaza Strip were also on the agenda. The Élysée referred to "the imperative of a complete cessation of hostilities in the region to protect civilians and the absolute urgency of massive, unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip." Meanwhile, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer was also in Paris on Thursday to meet French officials and discuss, among other topics, the Iranian issue, according to four sources cited by Reuters. American envoy Tom Barrack concluded his visit to Beirut on Wednesday by calling on Lebanese authorities to fully assume their responsibilities on the Hezbollah disarmament issue. Since the cease-fire, which went into effect last Nov. 27, the Israeli army has carried out almost daily strikes against Lebanon, mainly in the south and the Bekaa. These attacks have so far killed more than 270 people.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
France and Saudi Arabia prepare international conference in New York at end of July for Palestinian-Israeli conflict
During a meeting in Paris, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, announced the organization of an international conference aimed at promoting the two-state solution as a means to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a joint statement released by media outlets in Lebanon and the Gulf. "The two ministers discussed preparations for this international conference, scheduled for New York from July 28 to 30 under the joint sponsorship of France and Saudi Arabia," the statement said. "They expressed hope that this conference will yield tangible results to improve peace and security in the region. They also reaffirmed their support for the efforts of mediator countries — Egypt, Qatar and the United States — to achieve a lasting cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages, emphasizing the need to ensure the passage and distribution of humanitarian aid." Lebanon, Syria, Iran A previous international conference on the same topic was supposed to take place at the U.N. headquarters in June and was expected to be a historic turning point before being abruptly canceled due to the regional escalation sparked by Israeli strikes against Iran. Diplomatic sources said in mid-July that the conference was postponed to the end of the same month. However, it is not certain if this new conference will have the same scope as initially planned. 59,587 Palestinians have been killed and 143,498 wounded by Israel since the beginning of the war triggered by Hamas's offensive, which killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israeli territory. More than 100 humanitarian and human rights organizations warned Wednesday that "mass famine" was spreading in Gaza, as the United States announced it was sending its top envoy to Europe for discussions on a possible cease-fire and aid corridor. In their statement, the French and Saudi ministers also addressed the Lebanese issue, stressing "the importance of respecting the cease-fire" reached at the end of November between Israel and Hezbollah, now weakened by numerous violations, mostly by Israel. They also reaffirmed their support for Lebanese authorities for the implementation of urgent reforms – as Lebanon is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial assistance program – and for strengthening the sovereignty of the state, which notably involves the disarmament of militias, including Hezbollah. This issue is being closely monitored by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who was in Beirut at the start of the week. The two diplomats also discussed the Syrian issue and intercommunal violence in Sweida, calling for respect of the cease-fire concluded on July 19. They emphasized the need to "protect civilians" and to sanction the perpetrators of abuses against them, in accordance with commitments made in the joint declaration adopted at the Paris Conference on Syria on Feb. 13, 2025. More than 1,300 people were killed in a week during clashes between Druze armed groups and Sunni Bedouin tribes. Finally, the two ministers urged Iran to resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as Tehran officially cut off relations with the organization at the start of the month in the wake of the war with Israel. Iran reaffirmed this week its right to enrich uranium before talks Friday with the European Union.
