Ukraine, Lebanon… What to remember from Macron’s speech to the UN – L’Express

2024-09-25 18:50:23

Two years after his previous speech at the famous United Nations conference, when he warned against the “breaking of the world”, Emmanuel Macron spoke this Wednesday, September 25, before the UN General Assembly in New York to show his support for Ukraine, and Tel Aviv to stop “rising in Lebanon” and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to stop its fire against Israel.

Paris will continue to do everything to ensure that Kyiv “stands firm.”

France will do everything possible to enable Ukraine to confront Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the UN. “France will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that Ukraine remains stable, out of danger and receives justice,” he said, adding that Paris will continue “to provide with the necessary equipment to its security.”

READ ALSO: War in Ukraine: “There is no evidence that Putin intends to attack other countries”

Macron called on Israel to “stop in Lebanon” and Hezbollah fire on Israel

On the threat of confrontation in the Middle East, Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to stop the “progress in Lebanon” and the Lebanese Hezbollah to stop its fire against Israel. “We call on Israel to stop the progress in Lebanon and Hezbollah to stop firing,” he said, believing that Israel cannot “expand its operations in Lebanon without consequences.”

READ ALSO: Assaf Orion, former IDF adviser: “Israel is not yet in the wisdom of a great war”

At the request of France, the Security Council must urgently examine this crisis on Wednesday evening, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres declaring that “Lebanon is on the brink of the abyss”.

War in Gaza “is too late”

Almost a year after the deadly attacks of October 7, Emmanuel Macron declared that the war that “Israel is fighting in Gaza is too long”, stressing that “thousands of Palestinian victims are not justified”.

READ ALSO: Dealing with Hamas would be a victory for Israel, by Graham Allison and Amos Yadlin

“It is necessary that a new phase opens in Gaza, that the weapons stop, that the humanitarian workers return, that the civilians are finally safe,” he said, adding that France will participate “in every initiative of will save lives” and which will ensure the safety of all.

Macron calls for limiting veto power in cases of “serious crimes”

Emmanuel Macron also called for “limitation” of the right of veto in the Security Council in the event of a “serious crime”, as part of a reform to make the key organ of the United Nations work more efficiently.

READ ALSO: Guy Ryder, Deputy Secretary General of the UN: “It is more important than ever to reform the Security Council”

While more and more countries are calling for the expansion of the Commission, the reform of its composition alone “will not be enough to restore its efficiency and therefore I hope that this reform will also make it possible to change the working methods work, to limit the right of veto in the event of mass crime, and to concentrate on the operational decisions needed to maintain international peace and security,” said the French president.