France’s Macron Calls for Unified Approach to Middle East Peace, Rejects Normalization with Assad
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to resolving Middle East crises on Wednesday.
In an interview with Arabic-language newspaper An-Nahar, Macron spoke about Syria specifically, stating that a just future for Syria will require more than normalization with President Bashar Assad. He also highlighted that Assad’s alignment with Iran would continue to undermine Israel’s security and Lebanon’s stability.
Macron, who recently traveled to Riyadh as part of a state visit that featured bilateral talks with the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said that the visit provided an opportunity to discuss shared goals for regional stability, such as in Gaza and Lebanon, and demonstrate France’s support of the kingdom’s ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 economic agenda.
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When asked about what role he expects Saudi Arabia to play in securing and upholding ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, Macron said that his administration supports “the work by Saudi Arabia and its Arab partners” in updating the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 and building a path towards peace.
Regarding Syria, Macron rejected dialogue with Assad as an end goal and urged the Syrian regime to enable conditions for displaced Syrians to return home.
Macron also noted that he expects the discussions in Riyadh to reflect the two countries’ shared pursuit of de-escalation in other regional conflicts, namely Yemen and Sudan.
Macron, meanwhile, faces major political challenges at home. On Wednesday, France’s far-right and left-wing parties cooperated to pass a no-confidence motion, toppling Prime Minister Michael Barnier’s government in the first successful vote of its kind since 1926.
