Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Paris in early December to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. The head of the Israeli government said it, referring to a long telephone conversation between the two leaders today.
The head of the Elysée informed Netanyahu of his initiative to resolve the Lebanese crisis. Yesterday, November 18, Macron hosted the outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the latter from Riyadh. The Prime Minister of the Jewish State and President Macron also spoke of "the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program and the efforts of Tehran to settle in Syria".
President Macron yesterday had telephone conversations with several Western and Arab leaders, including Donald Trump, for talks on "how to stabilize the Middle East and build peace." According to a statement released by the White House, President Trump and Macron have "agreed on the need to work with allies to counter the destabilizing activities of Hezbollah and Iran in the region".
The Elysée reports that Macron also spoke on the phone with the Lebanese head of state, Michel Aoun, with the Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fatah al Sisi, with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman, and with the general secretary of 'UN, Antonio Guterres.
At the center of the talks "the situation in the Middle East and how to stabilize the region and build peace", explains the French presidency, without providing further details on the results of these discussions. Macron "will continue these exchanges with other international leaders in the coming days," the presidency added.
Macron is trying to find a solution to the Lebanese crisis after the surprise resignation announced by Prime Minister Hariri on 4 November while he was in Saudi Arabia. The outgoing premier arrived in France yesterday morning and announced his return home by Wednesday 22 November. The "shock" resignation was interpreted by many observers as a new tug of war between the Sunnis of Saudi Arabia, an important supporter of Hariri, and the Shiites of Iran, allies of the Lebanese political and armed group Hezbollah.
Holder of a Saudi and French passport, Prime Minister Hariri had said from Riad that he feared for his life, denouncing Hezbollah's "grip" on the government and political life in Lebanon. On Thursday, November 16, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that France is "concerned" about Iran's "hegemonic temptations" in the Middle East, sparking a harsh reaction from Tehran.
The following day, Friday 17, President Macron reaffirmed his desire to "dialogue" with Iran, which in turn accused Paris of "bias" after criticism from Minister Le Drian. "The Iranian reaction ignores the French position," Macron replied. “France maintains a line, which is to build peace, not to interfere in some national or regional divisions. The role of France is to talk to everyone. Everyone has an interest in staying calm. Our hope is that Iran has a less aggressive regional strategy and that it can clarify its missile policy that seems uncontrolled, ”Macron said, announcing his intention to visit Tehran in the course of 2018.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab League requested by Saudi Arabia on Iranian "interference" in the domestic affairs of the countries of the region is being held today in Cairo. The meeting takes place at a time of strong tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. The Gulf countries accuse Iran of undermining the security of Arab countries, particularly in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Syria, through armed groups financed by Tehran. Before the meeting, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - the four Arab countries that boycott Qatar over Doha's alleged support for terrorism - met with Arab League secretary general Ahmed Aboul Gheit.