“The G7 summit in Evian rolled out the red carpet this Monday for Donald Trump, ready to take advantage of the agreement with Iran and to announce that the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely open†from Friday… observe The World.
In fact, the “triumphalism†was appropriate for the American president. Shortly after his arrival, during an interview with Emmanuel Macron, host of the G7, “Trump touted the memorandum of understanding with Iran announced Sunday, saying the United States would finally take the next step in relations with its longtime adversary.†reports Al-Jazeera.
“I think great things are going to happen in the Middle East. And, very important: the price of oil fell today, while the stock market soared… at-il déclaré. “The agreement we reached with Iran will bring many benefits to the whole world.â€
Guarantees
G7 countries “welcomed the interim peace agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz†, relave The Wall Street Journal. “However, the content of the text has not been made public, and the allies are wondering about its implementation modalities.†They wonder in particular whether the agreement “offers sufficient guarantees for allies to contribute to the reopening of the Straitâ€.
Monday, during his interview with the American president, Emmanuel Macron expressed his desire to “cooperate†with the international mission “bringing together France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy to guarantee freedom of navigation†, note The World.
But Trump, who had sharply criticized his European allies for their refusal to escort ships during the conflict, “he reacted without much enthusiasm†, claiming that he would not have “don’t need much help… to reopen the strait, adds the Spanish daily. “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have one or two ships from certain countries – your country would be ideal for this –, because you never know… a-t-il concédé.
G7 members are also looking into whether Donald Trump “signed an agreement allowing Iran to collect fees for maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz†, écrit The Guardian. Such a formulation could in fact be similar “a toll system, which European leaders, committed to freedom of navigation, strongly opposed….
In Evian, Donald Trump insisted that there would be no toll, the agreement providing “an open and free passage†. An assertion contradicted by Tehran, which assures that “changes to the agreement, negotiated at the last minute, would allow Iran to collect fees for maritime services†, underlines the British daily.
Questions about Lebanon
Another subject of concern for Washington’s allies: Lebanon. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reminded on the first day of the summit that there can be no lasting peace in the Middle East “as long as Lebanon remains engulfed in flames,” according to comments reported by Euronews.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared on Monday “that Israel would not withdraw its military forces from southern Lebanon, nor from parts of Syria and the Gaza Strip†, écrit Ha’Aretz. “We will stay in the safe zones as long as it takes to defend our country… at-il déclaré.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to the Israeli daily “that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon was not included in the agreement and that Israel retained the right to defend itself in the event of an attack by Hezbollahâ€.
If, as pointed out The World, “the agreement with Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will, in any event, be the central theme of the summit†, the Europeans also want to remind Donald Trump that another conflict is still awaiting resolution: Ukraine.
And the tenant of the White House seemed receptive, according to Euronews. In his short press conference with Emmanuel Macron, he assured that “his administration would refocus diplomatic attention on Russia’s war against Ukraineâ€.
“We had a very good conversation [téléphonique] yesterday with President Zelensky and President Putin, and I think maybe we can do something, I really think so. I think they’re both open to it… he declared. Volodymyr Zelensky will be in Evian on Tuesday and plans to meet the American president there.
