Jacques Serais, edited by Laura Laplaud 8:34 pm, October 31, 2021

Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson discussed Sunday, on the sidelines of the G20 in Rome, about the embarrassing conflict between the two leaders: fishing licenses.

Tensions do not seem to subside even though Paris has offered London to work on de-escalation.

France criticizes the United Kingdom for granting too few post-Brexit licenses to its fishermen.

For Paris, the discussions are going in the right direction.

For London, the situation will remain as it is if the threats are not lifted.

After a 30-minute face-to-face interview on the sidelines of the G20 this Sunday morning between Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson, the versions given at the end were very different between the two counterparts.

"Now the ball is in their court," Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference.

"We cannot not defend our fishermen"

On the one hand, the Elysee Palace explained that the two leaders agreed to de-escalation.

On the other hand, Boris Johnson's entourage said that the situation would always remain the same as long as Paris does not lift its threats of retaliation: if the United Kingdom does not grant the missing licenses to French fishermen in two days, the British ships will no longer be able to unload their cargo in French ports.

"We have given Prime Minister Johnson's teams a document documenting this method," Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference.

"If the British do not make any obvious move, the measures which are planned from November 2 will have to be put in place because it will be an end of inadmissibility. The ball is in the court of the British. We have them. delivered a proposal. And so, if the British keep telling us and acting like they don't want to implement a deal, which has been signed. To start moving, I will regret it. But we can't help but not respond and not defend our fishermen, "he added.

The two leaders pass the buck.

At this rate, the possibility of reaching an agreement by Tuesday is becoming finer and finer.

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