Biarritz (AFP)
Emmanuel Macron made the surprise Sunday by inviting Biarritz, where he welcomes the G7, the head of Iranian diplomacy Mohammad Javad Zarif, to discuss the Iranian nuclear with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.
"We confirm the presence of Mohammad Javad Zarif in Biarritz, he is currently talking with Jean-Yves Le Drian," confirmed the Elysee, shortly after the surprise landing of the official plane of Iran, a real coup de theater of this Mountain peak.
"No meeting (of Mr. Zarif) is planned at this stage with the Americans" present at the G7 summit in south-west France, including Donald Trump, said the French presidency, indicating that the visit had place at the initiative of Paris and not the G7.
Donald Trump had however been informed of the arrival of the head of Iranian diplomacy, said implicitly a French diplomatic source.
"The President spoke with Donald Trump for two hours on Saturday, we are working in full transparency with the United States, and the President has had conversations with all the leaders of the G7, obviously the information is circulating." source
The decision to invite Mr. Zarif to the G7 venue, two days after receiving it at the Elysee Palace on Friday, "is a continuation of what Emmanuel Macron has been doing for several months: creating the conditions for a de-escalation, discuss what should come after the expiry of the Iranian nuclear deal and talk about Iran's ballistic program, "said the source.
"Javad Zarif comes to Biarritz because of the very substantial conversations with the leaders of the G7 on Saturday night.For these bases it is very important to take stock to continue to converge" and study the means of a de-escalation, concludes the French diplomat, stating that the invitation was decided after the dinner Saturday night.
© 2019 AFP