Biarritz (AFP)
Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump had lunch in head on Saturday in Biarritz to sweep the various topics of discussion before the opening of a G7 that looks particularly tense, a meeting that was not originally planned.
The two leaders met at the Hotel du Palais, in the elegant seaside resort which hosts the G7 in southwest France until Monday.
For this "improvised" lunch, according to the Elysee, they took their place on the terrace of the palace hotel, protected from the sun, around a round table about ten meters from their advisers, including the French Minister of Finance. Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and the White House National Security Advisor, John Bolton.
"This is a G7 that arrives at an important moment of destabilization on many topics," said the French president, referring in particular to the Syrian conflict or the Iranian nuclear treaty, the main bone of contention between the United States and Europeans.
"We will also talk about economic issues so that things can calm down as much as possible, so that we can find the right solutions in a concerted manner on the topics of digital, climate, gender equality," added Mr. Macron.
In addition to the trade war between the United States and China, the US president on Friday hovered the threat of a conflict with France and Europe, threatening to tax French wines in retaliation for the taxation of US digital giants.
"We really have a lot in common, being long-time friends, we are bickering a bit (sometimes) but not too much, our relationship is special and so far so good," said Donald Trump, far from the aggressive tone of these previous statements. "We have lots of important things to discuss," he said.
Another delicate point to clear, the environment. France, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany have insisted on seizing the subject of the Amazon rainforest, overrun by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of climate-skeptic Donald Trump.
© 2019 AFP