Biarritz (AFP)

The art of Emmanuel Macron's diplomatic "coup" against Donald Trump's "deal art"? In the G7, the American president remains a businessman who speaks trade when the French, with his surprise action on Iran and his call for the Amazon, devotes himself above all to diplomacy.

With Donald Trump whom he invited to lunch at the débothé just before the opening of the summit in Biarritz, as with the Russian Vladimir Putin, invited to Brégançon mid-August or with the Chinese Xi Jinping he will see again in November, Emmanuel Macron first believes in individual relationships.

He relies on "the usefulness of healing the personal connection with each leader," says one of his advisers. He also wants, in all conflicts, "talk to all", if possible play the mediators, putting France back in the center of the game. To reduce the break with Russia and take a little field vis-à-vis the United States. "France is not an aligned country," he slips.

Conscious of the gradual erasure of Western domination, divided and confronted by the new powers, he wanted to redo the G7 an informal discussion club between the world's great.

Exit the final communique with often obscure vocabulary, which he describes as "discussions between bureaucrats that leaders do not even read".

Especially since what we remember from the previous summit of the Seven in Canada is that Donald Trump refused to sign such a text.

On the other hand, Emmanuel Macron tries to advance specific topics, including the settlement of international crises.

On the Amazon, for example, on the eve of the meeting in Biarritz, in the face of the fire disaster, he announces that this subject should become a priority of the summit, but also that France will block the EU-Russia free trade agreement. Mercosur, to protest against Brazil's attitude (without warning its Spanish and German allies, who are protesting).

- The relegated economy? -

The economy, the economy, the economy! True to his past as a businessman and his bilateral approach to international relations, Donald Trump is mainly present to talk about business issues.

Agreement with Japan, negotiations with the United Kingdom, incendiary comments in the US-China trade war. If he talks a lot about "great trade agreements", by contrast, few comments on the Amazon, the climate, Iran.

According to the New York Times, several US officials have also estimated that the French were focusing on "niche problems" for the French population, such as climate change and gender equality, relegating the slowdown world economy in the background.

"France wants the G7 to remain silent on these crucial economic issues," said Trump's chief economic advisor. "Trade and the global economy have received little attention," he said.

- Risk -

These differences in approach and character of the two men are not without risk for the French president.

After a dinner at seven on Saturday night, the French again announced a major step forward: he obtained the agreement of his allies, including Donald Trump, to convey a common message to Iran, say concordant diplomatic sources.

He even speaks on television of a "common communication with Iran".

Forcing or overconfidence? An hour after his statements, Donald Trump publicly denies having discussed a common message to Iran.

Anxious not to offend "the first world power", Emmanuel Macron lowers a tone by speaking only of common objectives and stresses not having an "official mandate" to negotiate with Tehran.

This does not prevent to book on this issue a new twist, with the arrival Sunday afternoon in Biarritz the head of Iranian diplomacy, Mohammad Javad Zarif, endorsed by Donald Trump.

"This is a sign that President Macron is aggressively seeking a sort of US-Iran deal," AFP analyst Robert Malley of the International Crisis Group ( ICG).

For the French head of state, "there is no big risk, what does he have to lose If he succeeds, it is a huge victory. will want, "he notes.

There remains the risk for Emmanuel Macron to be considered as a gesture-maker whose seductive initiatives do not succeed.

On the Amazon for example, Sunday evening, the G7 had not yet taken the emergency measures promised by the French president, a test case for both the effectiveness of the G7 and the Macron method.

© 2019 AFP