Screenshot / France 2.
VIDEO – The former prime ministers found themselves on the same set, Saturday evening, on France 2. The tone hardened when the various conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine were mentioned.
“Open Gaza Now” is the title of the column Dominique de Villepin published Thursday in Liberation. The former prime minister of Jacques Chirac (between 2005 and 2007) explained this on Saturday evening on the Léa Salamé set in “What a time!” For him, “the israeli government must open the gates of gaza» to measure the damage.
The tone hardened when the 71-year-old politician spoke of France's position in the conflict in the Middle East. For Dominique de Villepin, “the message has often been confused by different positions over time“. And to cite one of Emmanuel Macron's first declarations in the Middle East which “called to form an anti-terrorist coalition». «I don't think it was the initiative that needed to be taken“, he further estimated. Which strongly concerned Elisabeth Borne, former prime minister of Emmanuel Macron, also invited around the table.
The one who once again became a deputy for Calvados wanted to intervene. “There is a special envoy from the president, Jean-Yves Le Drian…“, she argued before being cut off by her neighbor and former counterpart. “It's all the formswept Dominique de Villepin. I prefer to see a certain number of leaders around the world trying to provide solutions and proposals. The fight that must be waged and which France is not waging sufficiently is a fight of principles: those that must be defended in Ukraine and those in Gaza. International law must be respected in either case“, he insisted.
“What’s your magic solution?” »
Elisabeth Borne to Dominique de Villepin in “What a time!” on France 2
«Here, I think we are entering into political politics», added Elisabeth Borne. “Absolutely not», replies Villepin. “What is your magic solution?”, she then repeated. “When Joe Biden gives an ultimatum to Benjamin Netanyahu who does not respect it, what is your magic solution?» “It's not accepting…”, said the former Minister of Foreign Affairs with conviction. “I don't accept the massacres in the Gaza Strip, what next?!», asked Borne again.
Another subject of contention: the war in Ukraine. The former tenant of the Quai d'Orsay estimates that France has two months before Donald Trump comes to power, “to block American diplomacy which claims to want to resolve quickly and alone» the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He calls for working with “the Ukrainians and Europeans to establish a position that will serve as a red line for Donald Trump“. Once again, Elisabeth Borne choked. “Mr de Villepin, I don't understand, on Ukraine, we had successive sets of sanctions from Europe which remained united to sanction Russia…». «There are trains of sanctions, you are rightadmitted his interlocutor. But can we be satisfied with this, knowing that all these sanctions are being circumvented?».
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