"It is clear to us that Iran bears the responsibility for the attack" of 14 September against Saudi Arabia, said Monday in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Boris Johnson.
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Mediation is a delicate exercise. The French president has been active all day Monday, September 23 to try to concretize a meeting between Donald Trump and Hassan Rohani in New York, on the sidelines of the 74e General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) to which he still believes. Emmanuel Macron had "A first informal meeting" Monday morning with the US President and in the evening he met his Iranian counterpart, just arrived from Tehran.
Near two hours of discussion "Direct" during which the Head of State reminded Hassan Rohani that "The path of de-escalation was narrow but more necessary than ever". The closed face of Emmanuel Macron and his advisers at the end of the meeting would seem to show that a historic handshake between the US and Iranian presidents is still at best random.
In the early afternoon, the Head of State met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the leaders of the other two European countries that signed the July 2015 Vienna Agreement – or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – putting Iran's nuclear program under international control in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. He should talk again with Donald Trump in the morning of Tuesday.
Relax the pressure of sanctions
"I will do everything to ensure that the conditions for talks are created, so that there is no escalation and to build a useful, sustainable solution for security in the region," said the French president. He wants to believe in a "Opening with conditions" from the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif. The latter, in fact, affirmed the day before the CNN channel that Tehran did not close "Not the door to discussions" with the United States, provided that Washington eases the pressure of sanctions.
Rising tensions following Saudi Arabia's bombing of oil facilities in Saudi Arabia on September 14 complicate the deal. The attack was claimed by Yemeni Houthi rebels backed by Tehran but is attributed directly to Iran, both by Washington and Ryad.
"It is clear to us that Iran bears the responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation, also ensures the joint communiqué issued after the meeting of the three European leaders. "These attacks have been directed against Saudi Arabia, but they affect all countries and increase the risk of major conflict"said the statement calling on Tehran to return to the respect of the JCPOA, and to engage in a negotiation on its role in regional security as well as on the limitation of its ballistic program.
