Gulf crisis: Macron Reaffirms France’s Willingness to Support Kuwaiti Mediation
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday reaffirmed France’s willingness to play an active role in supporting Kuwaiti mediation with a view to finding a solution to the Gulf crisis.
This came after the meeting he held in Paris with Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani.
“The President of the Republic has reaffirmed the will of France, which has relations of friendship and trust with all the countries involved in this crisis, to play an active role in support of Kuwaiti mediation, to ensure that a swift solution to this situation is found,” said the French Presidential Palace in a statement made public after the meeting.
Talks between the two heads of state covered the current crisis opposing Qatar to its Gulf neighbors, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, plus Egypt.
President Macron “expressed his concern at the tensions threatening regional stability, hampering political resolution of crises and the effectiveness of our collective fight against terrorism,” the Elysée statement said, adding that the French head of state demanded that the embargo measures, affecting the populations of Qatar, particularly families and students, be lifted as quickly as possible.
Qatar has been embroiled in a crisis with the Saudi-led quartet since June 5. The Boycotting countries decreed a number of measures against Qatar that they accuse of supporting terrorism and threatening their internal security, cutting air, sea and land links with Doha.
Qatar denied the charges, claiming it is victim of a smear campaign.
The Elysée statement added that the French President and the Emir of Qatar expressed their shared resolve to deepen cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism and to establish joint mechanisms to drain the sources of financing of terrorism and to prevent radicalization.
They also agreed to work together in the run-up to the conference on combating the financing of terrorism to be held in France early 2018, the statement added.
