Climate action or distraction? Sweeping COP pledges won’t touch fossil fuel use

Climate action or distraction? Sweeping COP pledges won’t touch fossil fuel use

Post By Politics Africa, Australia, Barbados, China, Coal, cop28, Decarbonization, dubai, emissions, Emmanuel Macron, Energy, energy efficiency, Fossil fuels, gas, greenhouse gas emissions, Japan, Kamala Harris, Marshall Islands, oil, Renewable Energy, Saudi Arabia, turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Ursula von der Leyen

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A torrent of pollution-slashing pledges from governments and major oil companies sparked cries of “greenwashing” on Saturday, even before world leaders had boarded their flights home from this year’s global climate conference.

After leaders wrapped two days of speeches filled with high-flying rhetoric and impassioned pleas for action, the Emirati presidency of the COP28 climate talks unleashed a series of initiatives aimed at cleaning up the world’s energy sector, the largest source of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

The announcement, made at an hours-long event Saturday afternoon featuring U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, contained two main planks — a pledge by oil and gas companies to reduce emissions, and a commitment by 118 countries to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity and double energy savings efforts.

It was, on its face, an impressive and ambitious reveal.

COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, the oil executive helming the talks, crowed that the package “aligns more countries and companies around the North Star of keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach than ever before,” referring to the Paris Agreement target for limiting global warming.

But many climate-vulnerable countries and non-government groups instantly cast an arched eyebrow toward the whole endeavor.

“The rapid acceleration of clean energy is needed, and we’ve called for the tripling of renewables. But it is only half the solution,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands. “The pledge can’t greenwash countries that are simultaneously expanding fossil fuel production.”

Carroll Muffett, president of the nonprofit Center for International Environmental Law, said: “The only way to ‘decarbonize’ carbon-based oil and gas is to stop producing it. … Anything short of this is just more industry greenwash.”

The divided reaction illustrates the fine line negotiators are trying to walk. The European Union has campaigned for months to win converts to the pledge on renewables and energy efficiency the U.S. and others signed up to on Saturday, even offering €2.3 billion to help. And the COP28 presidency has been on board.

But Brussels, in theory, also wants these efforts to go hand in hand with a fossil fuel phaseout — a tough proposition for countries pulling in millions from the sector. The EU rhetoric often goes slightly beyond the U.S., even though the two allies officially support the end of “unabated” fossil fuel use, language that leaves the door open for continued oil and gas use as long as the emissions are captured — though such technology remains largely unproven.

Von der Leyen was seen trying to thread that needle on Saturday. She omitted fossil fuels altogether from her speech to leaders before slipping in a mention in a press release published hours later: “We are united by our common belief that to respect the 1.5°C goal … we need to phase out fossil fuels.”

Harris on Saturday said the world “cannot afford to be incremental. We need transformative change and exponential impact.”

But she did not mention phasing out fossil fuels in her speech, either. The U.S., the world’s top oil producer, has not made the goal a central pillar of its COP28 strategy.

Flurry of pledges

The EU and the UAE said 118 countries had signed up to the global energy goals.

The new fossil fuels agreement has been branded the “Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter” and earned the signatures of 50 companies. The COP28 presidency said it had “launched” the deal with Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest oil exporter and one of the main obstacles to progress on international climate action.

Among the signatories was Saudi state energy company, Aramco, the world’s biggest energy firm — and second-biggest company of any sort, by revenue. Other global giants like ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies also signed.

They have committed to eliminate methane emissions by 2030, to end the routine flaring of gas by the same date, and to achieve net-zero emissions from their production operations by 2050. Adnan Amin, CEO of COP28, singled out the fact that, among the 50 firms, 29 are national oil companies.

“That in itself is highly significant because you have not seen national oil companies so evident in these discussions before,” he told reporters.

The COP28 presidency could not disguise its glee at the flurry of announcements from the opening weekend of the conference.

“It already feels like an awful lot that we have delivered, but I am proud to say that this is just the beginning,” Majid al-Suwaidi, the COP28 director general, told reporters.

Fred Krupp, president of the U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund, predicted: “This will be the single most impactful day I’ve seen at any COP in 30 years in terms of slowing the rate of warming.”

But other observers said the oil and gas commitments did not go far beyond commitments many companies already make. Research firm Zero Carbon Analytics noted the deal is “voluntary and broadly repeats previous pledges.”

Melanie Robinson, global climate program director at the World Resources Institute, said it was “encouraging that some national oil companies have set methane reduction targets for the first time.”

But she added: “Most global oil and gas companies already have stringent requirements to cut methane emissions. … This charter is proof that voluntary commitments from the oil and gas industry will never foster the level of ambition necessary to tackle the climate crisis.”

Some critics theorized that the COP28 presidency had deliberately launched the renewables and energy efficiency targets together with the oil and gas pledge.

The combination, said David Tong, global industry campaign manager at advocacy group Oil Change International, “appears to be a calculated move to distract from the weakness of this industry pledge.”

The charter, he added, “is a trojan horse for Big Oil and Gas greenwash.”

Beyond voluntary moves

A push to speed up the phaseout of coal power garnered less attention — with French President Emmanuel Macron separately unveiling a new initiative and the United States joining a growing alliance of countries pledging to zero out coal emissions.

Macron’s “coal transition accelerator” focuses on ending private financing for coal, helping coal-dependent communities and scaling up clean energy. And Washington’s new commitment confirms its path to end all coal-fired power generation unless the emissions are first captured through technology. U.S. use of coal for power generation has already plummeted in the past decade.

The U.S. pledge will put pressure on China, the world’s largest consumer and producer of coal, as well as countries like Japan, Turkey and Australia to give up on the high-polluting fuel, said Leo Roberts, program lead on fossil fuel transitions at think tank E3G.

“It’s symbolic, the world’s biggest economy getting behind the shift away from the dirtiest fossil fuel, coal. And it’s sending a signal to … others who haven’t made the same commitment,” he said.

The U.S. also unveiled new restrictions on methane emissions for its oil and gas sector on Saturday — a central plank of the Biden administration’s climate plans — and several leaders called for greater efforts to curb the potent greenhouse gas in their speeches.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley called for a “global methane agreement” at COP28, warning that voluntary efforts hadn’t worked out. Von der Leyen, meanwhile, urged negotiators to enshrine the renewables and energy efficiency targets in the final summit text.

Mohamed Adow, director of the think tank Power Shift Africa, warned delegates not to get distracted by nonbinding pledges.

“We need to remember COP28 is not a trade show and a press conference,” he cautioned. “The talks are why we are here and getting an agreed fossil fuel phaseout date remains the biggest step countries need to take here in Dubai over the remaining days of the summit.”

Sara Schonhardt contributed reporting.

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From welcoming refugees to the crisis in Lampedusa, six years of French immigration policy

Post By World Emmanuel Macron, France, Gérald Darmanin, Immigration, Political asylum, Refugees

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday that France would not be taking in any of the migrants who arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa last week. FRANCE 24 looks back at six years of French U-turns on immigration policies.

Having lamented for years that the Mediterranean has become “the world’s biggest cemetery”, Pope Francis is visiting the French port city of Marseille on Friday to reinforce his message that the region should welcome migrants.

His visit comes as Lampedusa, a small Italian island nestled in the Mediterranean between Tunisia and Malta, saw a record number of migrant arrivals last week. Some 8,500 people reached the island’s shores, briefly exceeding its resident population of 6,100.

But the pope’s call for peace may fall on deaf ears, as EU nations like Italy and France pledge tougher immigration measures.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday called for a naval blockade of North Africa to prevent smuggler boats from leaving the continent, lengthened detention time for migrants awaiting repatriation and announced the creation of more detention centres in remote areas.

France boosted border patrols on its southern frontier with Italy and amplified its drone surveillance of the Alps to keep people from crossing over. The government has held firm on its decision not to take in migrants from Lampedusa.

“[We] will not take in migrants,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told national TV channel TF1 on Tuesday. “It’s not by taking in more people that we’re going to stem a flow that obviously affects our ability to integrate [them into French society],” he said.

Darmanin’s words come at a time where immigration has once again taken centre stage in French politics. As the country’s hung parliament wrangles over a draft law governing new arrivals, President Emmanuel Macron has evoked a possible referendum on the topic.

No one knows whether the referendum will actually take place or what question will be posed. But that very sense of uncertainty matches France’s indecision on immigration policy over the past six years.

FRANCE 24 takes a look back at the string of U-turns and contradictions Macron has made on the issue since taking office in 2017, a journey worthy of whiplash.

January 2017: Macron praises Angela Merkel’s stance on migration

While he was still running for presidency on January 2, 2017, Macron published an op-ed in French daily Le Monde. In the article, he praised former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for having taken in a large number of migrants years earlier – at a time where most European countries wouldn’t.

“When Italy was alone in handling the arrival of refugees in Lampedusa, to the point of deeply moving Pope Francis, neither France nor Germany were there to help,” Macron wrote. “Greece has also long been on the front line, helpless and overwhelmed in the face of the influx of refugees and migrants. That being said, Chancellor Merkel and German society as a whole have lived up to our shared values – they have saved our collective dignity by taking in refugees in distress, housing them and training them.”

Shortly after he took office, Macron spelled out his vision for welcoming migrants and specifically asylum seekers more clearly. A few months after publishing the op-ed, he made a speech in Orléans, a city south of Paris, in which he stated: “By the end of this year, I no longer want there to be men and women in the streets, in the woods or lost … It’s a matter of dignity, of humanity and also of efficiency. I want to ensure that, wherever emergency accommodation is built to take in [asylum seekers], there are also administrative facilities in place to process their requests.”

In 2023, tens of thousands of migrants are still sleeping rough, according to the Abbé Pierre Foundation, which finances and supports associations that fight against substandard housing.

Summer 2018: France rejects dock request from Aquarius migrant ship

The summer of 2018 was marked by diplomatic quarrels between France and Italy, especially regarding the request to dock the Aquarius – a migrant ship chartered by the European humanitarian organisation SOS Mediterranée, which carries out search and rescue missions for migrants lost at sea.

The dispute began in June, when Italy refused to let the ship dock with 629 migrants on board. Macron criticised the “cynicism and irresponsibility” of the Italian government’s decision to close its ports, while refusing to let the ship dock in France. After a week of being stuck off the coast of Sicily, Spain finally agreed to let the Aquarius dock on June 17, before it moved on to Marseille. Of the 629 people on board, 78 were taken in by France.

But a few weeks later, on September 25, the French government refused to let the Aquarius, and the remaining 58 migrants on board, dock for a second time. This time, Malta agreed to take in the migrants but not the ship, which had to stay offshore. Although France eventually took in 17 of the 58 remaining migrants, it still refused to let the ship dock.

Progression of asylum applications and number of asylum statuses granted over the last six years in France. © FRANCE 24 graphic design studio

September 2018: A controversial asylum and immigration bill

In the summer of 2018, Macron’s initial Interior Minister Gérard Collomb passed a bill on asylum and immigration that was slammed by non-profit organisations helping refugees across the board. Measures that were soundly criticised included the doubling of the 45-day detention period for illegal migrants to 90 days, the possibility of placing children in detention centres and cutting the maximum processing time for asylum seekers from 120 to 90 days.

The controversial bill exposed divisions within Macron’s party, who had a majority in parliament at the time. More than a dozen MPs abstained from voting and one MP voted against the bill. The legislation even sparked wrath from the right. Former right-wing minister Jacques Toubon, who later became the French Human Rights Defender, told French daily Le Monde that the bill treated asylum seekers “badly”.

November 2019: Prime Minister Édouard Philippe restricts healthcare access for migrants

On November 6, 2019, then French prime minister Édouard Philippe announced a new immigration plan that aimed to combat what the government called “medical tourism”. The government claimed that the medical coverage offered to migrants was attracting newcomers to France, so they decided to restrict access to healthcare.

For asylum seekers who are not minors, a three-month waiting period to access universal coverage was introduced, and the list of treatments covered was reduced for foreign nationals receiving state medical aid (AME).

November 2020: Brutal dismantling of migrant camp in central Paris

Hundreds of migrants were violently dispersed in central Paris on the night of November 23, 2020, only a few days after a migrant camp housing 2,000 people was dismantled in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.

During the evacuation operation in central Paris, police officers were accused of violence as they broke up the migrant camp at the Place de la République. Images on social media showed officers hitting protesters and picking up tents, sometimes with people still inside – prompting the country’s interior minister to say that some of the scenes were “shocking” and order an inquiry.

“You can’t respond to misery with police batons. It is urgent, essential and indisputable that the migrants in Saint-Denis who live on the streets should be given shelter. The honour of the French Republic is at stake,” said Delphine Rouilleault, director of the non-profit “France terre d’asile”, which has criticised the treatment of migrants in Calais for years. “When tents aren’t being torn down by police, it’s the ‘jungle’ [the name of the former immigration camp in the Calais region] itself that is dismantled using bulldozers.”

Progression of residence permits granted by the French government over the years. © FRANCE 24 graphic design studio

August 2021: After the Taliban retake control of Afghanistan, France must protect itself against ‘irregular migratory flows’

When France began repatriating its nationals after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Macron declared it was his country’s “duty” and “dignity” to protect Afghans (including translators and cooks) who had worked for France on the ground.

But the French president also warned that Europe would have to protect itself “against significant irregular migratory flows”. His statement was condemned by the left as well as humanitarian organisations, who saw it as showing a shameful lack of empathy for the Afghans.

In the weeks that followed, France was accused of not doing enough for the Afghan people – particularly Afghan interpreters and women. A total of 2,600 Afghans were evacuated to France, compared with 8,000 to the UK and 4,000 to Germany.

February 2022: More than a hundred thousand Ukrainian refugees welcomed

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 prompted large numbers of Ukrainians to flee their country and seek refuge in western Europe. France quickly opened its borders and spent €500 million on welcoming those in need. As a result, more than 110,000 refugees arrived on French soil within a year – 80 percent of whom were women, according to official data released by the interior ministry on February 24, 2023, a year after the war broke out.

Refugee NGOs applauded the French government’s efforts, but also viewed them as a double standard in relation to how those fleeing the Global South are treated. “We’re very happy that things are going well for Ukrainians, but we found the whole thing incredibly unfair. When they are Africans or Afghans, we’re told there is nowhere to house them and they end up sleeping rough. On the other hand, when it’s Ukrainians – people we can identify with – they open accommodation centres,” Yann Mazi, founder of French non-profit Utopia 56, told French daily Libération.

November 2022: France accepts the Ocean Viking rescue ship but suspends plan to take in 3,500 refugees

Four years after the Aquarius migrant ship was barred from docking in Italy, a new rescue vessel chartered by SOS Méditerranée, the Ocean Viking, caused a renewed diplomatic spat between France and Italy.

When Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni refused to allow the ship carrying 234 migrants to dock at an Italian port, French Interior Minister Darmanin announced on November 10, 2022 that France would “as an exception” welcome the Ocean Viking in Toulon.

After declaring that France would receive a third of the migrants on board, Darmanin went on to describe Italy’s decision as “incomprehensible” and “lacking humanity”, calling Meloni’s behaviour “contrary to the solidarity and commitments” made by Rome.

However, in protest at Italy’s behaviour, Darmanin then suspended a plan to take in 3,500 refugees who had arrived in Italy. The transfer was planned as part of a European burden-sharing accord.

In line with the multiple U-turns the French government has made on its migration policy over the years, it plans to relaunch its immigration bill – initially planned for the start of 2023 – this autumn.

The bill aims to make it easier to expel foreigners who “pose a serious threat to public order” and give special residence permits to undocumented migrants already working in understaffed sectors in France.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

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#welcoming #refugees #crisis #Lampedusa #years #French #immigration #policy

G20 Summit 2023 | Which leaders are attending? What is their agenda?

Post By World delhi summit, Emmanuel Macron, Fumio Kishida, g20 summit, g20 summit 2023, g20 summit agenda, g20 summit leaders list, g20 summit news, joe biden g20 summit, rishi sunak g20 summit, who are attending g20 summit

The final event in India’s year of G20 Presidency is the New Delhi Summit scheduled to be held on September 9-10 at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam (ITPO) complex — a culmination of all G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the group comprising of leaders of eighteen countries will adopt the Leaders’ Declaration stating their commitment to the priorities agreed upon in the ministerial and working group meetings.

In a show of diplomatic power, India has invited nine other state leaders apart from the G20 member states. These include Asian leaders like Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh), Pravind Kumar Jugnauth (Mauritius), Sultan Haitham bin Tarik (Oman), Lee Hsein Loong (Singapore), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (United Arab Emirates), European leaders like Pedro Sanchez (Spain), Mark Rutte (Netherlands) and African leaders like Abdul Fatah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (Egypt) and Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Nigeria).

New organisational invitees include heads of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB). These guest organisations are in addition to the regular ones: United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World bank (WB), World Health Organisation (WHO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Financial Stability Board (FSB) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Heads of regional organisations like African Union (AU), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), and Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) have also been invited.

Which leaders will be in attendance? What is their agenda?

United States: Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden arrived on Friday in New Delhi and will immediately hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi at his residence (7 Lok Kalyan Marg). The focus of the bilateral talk will likely be progress on the joint manufacture of jet engines, civil nuclear liability and trade agreements, and cooperation on global issues like climate change, technology, and clean energy. The leaders are also likely to discuss India-China relations, the situation along Line of Actual Control (LAC), and India’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Forum’s ‘Trade’ pillar. Moreover, as announced, Mr. Modi plans to host the next QUAD summit in India in 2024 and will discuss the same with Mr. Biden.

During the summit on September 9-10, Mr. Biden will focus on tackling climate change, reshaping multilateral development banks like World Bank and IMF, social and economic consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, welcoming the African Union, commending Mr. Modi’s G20 leadership and affirming faith in the group by hosting the forum in 2026. Consensus on a G20 statement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is difficult, but India remains hopeful of a joint declaration.

United Kingdom: Rishi Sunak

Touted as India’s ‘son-in-law,’ British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will attend his second G20 summit hoping for a warm welcome. Mr. Sunak enjoys star status in India as the son-in-law of Infosys founder Narayan Murthy and as a practising Hindu Prime Minister – a first for the UK. Hoping for concessions due to his Indian connection, Mr. Sunak will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on September 9 and press for an Indo-UK trade deal and a toughening of New Delhi’s stance against Russia.

I’ve landed in Delhi ahead of the #G20 summit.

I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us.

Only together can we get the job done. pic.twitter.com/72vE60c7Fg

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

France: Emmanuel Macron

Arriving on September 9, French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to squeeze in a working lunch with Mr. Modi after the G20 summit on Sunday. Apart from India, Mr. Macron will also be holding bilateral talks with Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indonesia President Joko Widodo and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman, before he leaves for Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon.

Japan: Fumio Kishida

After attending the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia along with Mr. Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Fumio Kishida is scheduled to attend the G20 summit. He will also attend a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on September 9 in which likely topics of discussion includes China, India hosting the next QUAD meeting in 2024 and trade.

Japanese experts say that Mr. Kishida will back India and not China at the G20 summit as a key bridge between the West and the global south. Keeping India’s strategic role in mind in the South China Sea tussle, Mr. Kishida had previously invited Mr. Modi to the May meeting of the G-7 countries in Hiroshima.

Germany: Olaf Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be attending the summit as he believes that the G20 has an obligation to fulfil inspite of China and Russia’s absence amid the growing influence of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Mr. Scholz is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on September 9 to discuss regional developments and global challenges. At the summit, Mr. Scholz will reiterate the need for countries with a colonial history to help former colonies develop as he believes in ‘fair partnership’.

Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina

Attending the G20 summit on India’s special invitation, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be one of the first global leaders to hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on September 8. On arrival, she along with her younger sister Sheikh Rehana were received by Union minister Darshana Jardosh and will later meet Mr. Modi at his residence (7 Lok Kalyan Marg). In the meeting three memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in the agriculture research, cultural exchange and financial transactions between the two countries will be signed.

At the summit, she will speak on climate change, economic recovery after Covid-19, war in Europe and its impact on global supply apart from Bangladesh’s good performance in many socio-economic categories. Apart from Mr. Modi, the Bangladeshi PM is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Mauritius: Pravind Kumar Jugnauth

Another special invitee, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived on Thursday night and was received by Union Minister Shripad Naik. After meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, Mr, Jugnauth is also scheduled to meet Mr. Modi at his residence for a bilateral meeting to review the two nation’s ties and developmental cooperation. Incidentally 70% of citizens of Mauritius are Indian-origin which has led to deep ties between the two countries.

Delighted to call on PM @KumarJugnauth of Mauritius today morning. Value Mauritius’ participation in the @g20org.

Reaffirmed our commitment to take our truly special partnership forward. pic.twitter.com/iKIS60HAnI

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 8, 2023

Italy: Giorgio Meloni

Arriving for her second G20 summit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was received by Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje. Ms. Meloni had recently visited India in March to attend the eight edition of the Raisina Dialogue and held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi. She is scheduled to meet Mr. Modi for a bilateral meeting tomorrow in which the Russia-Ukraine war, trade, digital transition, space, and cybersecurity are likely to be discussed.

More Heads of delegations set foot in New Delhi for the G20 Summit!@CasaRosada @alferdez received by MOS @SteelMinIndia & @MoRD_GoI @fskulaste.

PM @GiorgiaMeloni of Italy received by MOS @AgriGoI @ShobhaBJP.

Also welcoming First Vice-President and Minister for the Economy &… pic.twitter.com/bZRU9tSo82

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 8, 2023

Brazil: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Gearing up to take over the G20 presidency from Mr. Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will arrive in New Delhi to attend the summit. A strong proponent for expanding the BRICS coalition and establish a common bloc currency, Mr. Lula hopes to reduce developing nations’ dependency on the US dollar. With 41 nations expressing interest in joining BRICS, the bloc is likely to crop up in bilateral meeting scheduled between Mr. Lula and Mr. Modi on September 10.

Turkiye: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the summit during the weekend and is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines with several leaders including Mr. Modi on Sunday. Mr. Erdogan, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi earlier this week, will attempt to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative which allows grain export from blockaded Ukrainian ports. This initiative which was launched by the United Nations in 2022, supported by India, will provide a major relief to the current global food security crisis.

UAE: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Visiting India for the first time since being appointed as UAE’s President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) will attend the summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on Sunday. Recently, India has supported UAE’s application to join the BRICS and has signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. The two nations have also signed the Rupee-Dirham deal to promote usage of local currencies for cross-border transactions and recently conclude a Rupee-Dirham oil transaction between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Indian Oil Corporation. With multiple investments in Indian projects, MBZ and Mr. Modi are likely to discuss key trade deals, projects in the meeting.

South Korea: Yoon Suk Yeol

Accompanied by eleven companies, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on Sunday. The companies are eyeing joint ventures in Indian defence sector in artillery, radar and satellite communication, military power systems and aerial and naval platform sub-system supplies. The companies are keen to sign MoUs with Indian defence manufacturing companies for joint-ventures, technology transfer and trade.

At the summit, Mr. Yoon will urge participating nations to enforce U.N sanctions on North Korea for its ever-escalating missile provocations and nuclear threats. He will emphasize the need to deter North Korea from stealing cryptocurrency, dispatching workers overseas and other illegal activities to cut off its main funding for its weapons program.

Canada: Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend the G20 summit and may have a quick pull-aside meeting with Mr. Modi on Sunday. India-Canada relations have recently been strained in recent times since Ottawa expressing concerns for the farmers’ protest against the Modi government. Moreover, with growing support for the Khalistan referendum in Canada, the Trudeau government has been careful to not upset the major Sikh diaspora in Canada which have been voicing out violation of human rights of religious minorities in India. Recently, Canada hit pause on a trade deal with India over unclear reasons.

Saudi Arabia: Mohammad bin Salman

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be attending the summit over the weekend followed by a one-day state visit. During his visit, he will hold bilateral talks with Mr. Modi on the nations ties in various sectors like energy, defence, trade and investment.

Netherlands: Mark Rutte

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte accompanied by his Finance minister Sigrid Kaag will attend the summit over the weekend and then travel to Bengaluru on Monday on an economic mission. In Bengaluru, Mr. Rutte will hold discussions with representatives of over sixty Indian companies engaged in business with his nation, visit an innovation lab of NXO and attend a roundtable discussion with Dutch companies operating in Karnataka.

Nigeria: Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Arriving three days ahead of the G20 summit on September 6, Nigerian President Tinubu met with Hinduja Group chairman Mr. Gopichand Hinduja to drum up investments into his nation. He is also scheduled to address the Nigeria-India Presidential Roundtable and the Nigeria-India Business Conference, to attract global capital into Nigeria from the attending CEOs, senior government officials. Highlighting his Renewed Hope Agenda, Mr. Tinubu will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on September 10 to strengthen economic, trade, and investment partnerships.

In the summit, Mr. Tinubu will share Nigeria’s perspective on the G20 theme “One Earth-One Family-One Future”, while weighing the pros and cons of his nation’s application to be a permanent member of the group. Mr. Tinubu’s retinue comprises of his ministers Yusuf Tuggar (External affairs), Wale Edun (Finance and Economy), Dr. Bosun Tijani (Communication), Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite (Trade).

#StateHousePressRelease: PRESIDENT TINUBU ARRIVES
INDIA AND HEADS STRAIGHT INTO
TOP-LEVEL INVESTMENT
MEETING WITH HINDUJA CHAIRMAN AFTER 15 HOUR JOURNEY

After an extensive 15-hour journey, President Bola Tinubu @officialABAT arrived in New Delhi, showcasing his steadfast… pic.twitter.com/eelcx27Iwo

— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) September 5, 2023

Argentina: Alberto Fernandez

Argentian President Alberto Fernandez will be in attendance at the Summit accompanied by Foreign minster Santiago Cafiero, secretary Julio Vitobello, spokesperson Gabriela Cerruti and the Argentian Sherpa Jorge Argüello. According to local news channel C5N, Mr. Fernandez is expected to raise the issue of global financial architecture in his speech and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Bangladesh (Sheikh Hasina), South Korea (Yoon Suk Yeol) and UAE (Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan). A bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi is yet to be confirmed.

Comoros: Azali Assoumani

Comoros President Azali Assoumani has arrived in Delhi to attend the summit and will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi on Sunday. As the chairperson of the 55-nation African Union (AU), Mr. Assoumani will also discuss the membership of the bloc to the G20 in the summit. Sources at the Sherpa meeting stated that the African Union is set to join the bloc, leaving a lasting imprint of India’s work during its Presidency. It is unclear if the G-20 will be renamed as G-21 with the inclusion of AU.

More leaders arrive in New Delhi for the G20 Summit.

Chairperson @_AfricanUnion President Azali Assoumani of Comoros received by MOS @RailMinIndia, @CoalMinistry & @MinesMinIndia @raosahebdanve.

PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh received by MOS @TexMinIndia & @RailMinIndia… pic.twitter.com/MXAwaGiBXL

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 8, 2023

Australia: Anthony Albanese

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the G20 summit as part of his three-nation tour – India, Indonesia and Philippines. As India hopes to have the QUAD nations’ leaders as its Republic Day chief guests in January 2024, Mr. Modi may discuss the same Mr. Albanese. Sources say that Mr. Albanese’s presence in particular will be tough as January 26 is observed as Australia Day.

During the G20 event on September 9-10, Mr. Albanese will reiterate Australia’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific for growth and prosperity, stability and respect for sovereignty and lasting peace.

Other attendees include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, European Council President Charles Michel, European Union president Ursula von der Leyen, Indonesian president Joko Widodo, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Arrivals ongoing for the G20 Summit!@PresidencyZA @CyrilRamaphosa welcomed by MOS @RailMinIndia, @CoalMinistry & @MinesMinIndia @raosahebdanve.

DPM Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik Al Said of Oman welcomed by MOS Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & @moefcc @AshwiniKChoubey. pic.twitter.com/ZQHFUqPmm1

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 8, 2023

Which leaders are skipping the event?

China: Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip the event and will be represented by Premier Li Qiang. Mr. Xi has already skipped the recently concluded ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits. India has dismissed Mr. Xi’s absence as non-consequential.

Mexico: Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Since 2019, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has skipped G20 summits in a bid to avoid trade war confrontation. He will be represented by Finance Minister Carlos Urzua and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Spain: Pedro Sanchez

Spain’s caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, will miss the G20 summit after testing positive for COVID-19. He will be represented by economy Minister Nadia Calvino and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

Russia: Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will skip the event as he is currently still focusing on the “special military operation” in Ukraine. He had skipped the summit in Bali in November 2022 citing the same reasons. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is leading the Russian delegation in his stead.

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#G20 #Summit #leaders #attending #agenda

Macron eyes key immigration and economy reforms for remainder of term

Post By World Emmanuel Macron, France, Protests in France, Vladimir Putin

“We need to act as Europeans”, said the French president, outlining “a major political initiative” for the upcoming months.

The end of August is approaching, the long French summer holiday season is almost over, and Emmanuel Macron is back with many projects.

France’s president has revealed what his objectives are for his next years in office, in a wide-ranging interview with the French magazine Le Point.

Eyeing up geopolitics, new laws on immigration and reforms to industry and education, Macron assured he is not a “lame duck”, stuck and powerless in a second term dogged by social unrest, riots and a seemingly neverending war in Ukraine.

‘Can we leave Ukraine be torn apart and Russia win? No.’

“I hope that Ukraine’s counteroffensive can bring everyone around the negotiation table […] a good negotiation will be the one Ukrainians will want”, he says.

Macron put the onus on Moscow to help bring about an end to the fighting: It’s “Russia’s role to choose which partner it wants to be. Yet, today, Russia is no longer the same as it was in 2021. Vladimir Putin’s responsibility is huge.”

The liberal president repeatedly tried to maintain talks with his Russian counterpart at the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Today, he says he will be speaking to him again when necessary. Vladimir Putin “feeds into the world’s disarray”.

‘US and China have decided that the WTO is no longer a thing’

Keeping on the topic of instability, Macron claims some of the “frameworks” of the international order have “shattered”.

“The Sino-American dispute endangers the established trade order”, he says in reference to the mounting trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Macron thinks it’s a serious problem for Europe which has to continue to fight for its “unique political and social model”.

France’s president claims this geopolitical and trade turmoil has disrupted the world order, adding the upheaval is “not good news for the West.”

‘France was right to join African nations to fight terrorism’

Amid a rising tide of hostility and competition from other actors – notably Russian Wagner mercenaries – France has pulled out its troops from several countries in Africa, where they were fighting jihadist groups and providing security for the governments.

“If we hadn’t deployed Serval then Barkhane operations, Mali, Burkina Faso and probably Niger would no longer exist,” Macron said, claiming these military operations stopped the creation of a new Islamic state kilometres from Europe’s coasts.

“French interventions requested by African states were a success,” he added.

The presence of the old colonial power’s troops was heavily criticised by some parts of the local population, while in Mali relations also soured with the country’s military rulers.

Macron called once more for Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum to be released by the military junta which took over the country on 26 July 2023.

As for French influence in Africa, Macron sees it as a “partnership where France defends its interests and backs Africa so it can succeed. It’s a real partnership and not a joint sovereignty.”

Riots after Nahel’s death were ‘an act of vengeance’

The killing of a teenage boy in a Parisian suburb on 27 June 2023 sparked major riots in France.

17-year-old Nahel – of Moroccan and Algerian descent – was dead shot by police officers in a roadside check, which some said highlighted deep-seated issues of racism and police violence in France.

Violent unrest ripped France apart for about nine days during which 3,915 people were arrested. Among them, 1244 were underage and 742 have now been convicted to jail time.

“We have been unyielding. […] That’s why it only lasted a couple of days,” says Macron. “It was a tremendous surge of violence […] there was no political message, nor a social nor a religious one.”

Analysing the riots, he alleged social media played a massive role. Snapchat and mostly the “Snap Map” functionality is thought to have enabled rioters to identify “hotspots” where looting, violence and fires were in full swing.

He also indicates that familial and educative structures have imploded. “An enormous amount of people arrested came from a single-parent family or from child welfare services.”

France has a long history of racism and violence against its “non-white” population, with police long accused of disproportionately targeting Arab and Black people.

Nahel was shot at point-blank range, trying to drive away from officers in a traffic stop.

Emergency executive powers could be used to pass immigration law

Macron said he wants to avoid a repetition of the major political crisis prompted by a reform to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

His flagship pension reform was allowed to pass Parliament without a vote thanks to a special constitutional power.

France’s leader has drafted a controversial immigration bill. He wants to negotiate with the opposition to build effective support for it, but has not ruled out using these powers to force it through the National Assembly.

“We need results, so if such a bill is blocked, I won’t deny myself from using it.”

This bill would cut illegal immigration and be strict regarding foreigners who threatened public order. Reducing asylum requests examination period is also mentioned, but the most hotly debated part is provisions to allow foreigners who are “highly sought after professionals” to obtain a residence permit.

While the right wing is clear in saying this measure would mean the government is crossing a red line, Macron’s left wing is weaker in defending itself and supporting this proposition.

The French President will have to be nimble and cautious at the risk of losing support from the left and right-wing for this bill.

Climate change: European domestic industry is Macron’s solution

Macron finally turns to climate change, trying to balance it against the needs of the economy.

“I defend an idea of ecology that requires progress, projects, common sense and solutions within the scope of scientific analysis”, says the French head of state.

“Europe has a choice: It can be a wonderful market for rich consumers supported by public funding who will buy some Netflix, some ChatGPT, some Chinese electric vehicles and solar panels along with American digital technology; or it can manufacture on its soil electric vehicles and be a stakeholder of AI.”

Even though rebuilding sovereignty over outsourced industry can seem a good plan, it is not a solution to climate change according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Their reports underlined multiple times “that only a GDP non-growth/degrowth or post-growth approach enable reaching climate stabilisation below 2°C”.

Yet, producing less to emit less greenhouse effect gas is not that simple as the IPCC concludes “substantial challenges remain regarding political feasibility”.

“We need to act as Europeans”, says Macron. “The idea of a European power was seen as a French fad just five years ago.”

The French President has been relentless in saying Europe should defend its production, military and geopolitical capability. “Shared European investments in climate, defence and AI are at the heart of the upcoming European venture.”

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#Macron #eyes #key #immigration #economy #reforms #remainder #term

Macron walks tightrope as French police protest challenges rule of law

Post By World Emmanuel Macron, Éric DUPOND-MORETTI, Features, France, Gérald Darmanin, Justice, pension reform, Police, police brutality, riots

French President Emmanuel Macron has declined to condemn the country’s top police chiefs for appearing to suggest officers were above the law, seeking to stave off unrest among security forces wearied by repeated bouts of street violence. Critics, however, lament a missed opportunity to reassert the state’s authority over an increasingly restless police force.

Just weeks after the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel M. kicked off massive riots across France, the country’s top police official sparked a fresh row on Sunday by slamming the decision to jail an officer whose actions during the unrest are being investigated.

The controversial remarks by national police chief Frédéric Veaux were aimed at staving off a revolt in the southern city of Marseille, where officers have staged a rare walkout in protest at a court decision to remand one of their colleagues in custody.

Police clash with protesters in the streets of Nanterre, near Paris, on June 30, 2023, following the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M. © Gonzalo Fuentes, Reuters

The jailed policeman is one of four officers placed under investigation over the alleged beating of a 21-year-old man of North African origin, who has undergone multiple surgical procedures and had part of his skull removed after what he said was a deliberate attack by police using an LBD blast-ball gun.

“Knowing that (the officer) is in prison stops me from sleeping,” Veaux said in an interview with French daily Le Parisien, after travelling to Marseille to bring a message of support to police from Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

“In general, I believe that ahead of a possible trial, a police officer should not be in prison, even if he may have committed serious faults or errors in the course of his work,” Veaux added in remarks backed by Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, France’s second-highest-ranking officer.

The comments promptly raised eyebrows among members of the judiciary, who denounced an attack on their independence and the principle of equality before the law.

Cécile Mamelin, the vice president of the Union of Magistrates, described Veaux’s words as “scandalous” and “extremely serious in a state of law”, while Marseille’s top judge Olivier Leurent issued a statement urging “restraint so that the judiciary can pursue the investigation (…) free from pressure and in complete impartiality”.

Macron on the police in France

🇫🇷 Emmanuel #Macron said Monday that #France needed a “return to authority at every level” in response to recent riots sparked by the fatal police shooting of a teenage driver.

Our French Politics Editor @mperelman provides an analysis of the President’s prerecorded interview. pic.twitter.com/T4zkXJ07cm

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) July 24, 2023

Meanwhile, the left-wing opposition blasted the government for failing to rein in “a police hierarchy that places itself above the law”.

Macron’s balancing act

France’s latest policing dispute caught up with Macron as he touched down in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Monday, some 16,000 kilometres away, for the start of an Indo-Pacific tour.

The French president steered clear of commenting both on Veaux’s remarks and the judicial decision to remand the officer in custody. Pressed for a response, he stressed that “no one in the Republic is above the law” and that the police “obviously (…) fall under the law”.

Above all, Macron praised police in the face of “an unprecedented surge of violence” during the riots, in which some 900 law enforcement officers were injured. He said he understood “the emotions of our officers”, adding that they “must be heard while respecting the rule of law”.

His choice of words reflected the government’s concern at the mounting anguish voiced by police after a gruelling year marked by rioting and sometimes violent protests, said Jean-Marc Berlière, a historian of the French police.

“There is widespread discontent and a sense of injustice among police officers who feel that they are sacrificing their lives and well-being to maintain public order – while being finger-pointed and reprimanded in return,” Berlière said.

He cited the increasingly vocal criticism of police’s heavy-handed tactics, both at home and from abroad, which has seen rights groups, the Council of Europe and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association each voice their concern at French police’s “excessive use of force” in tackling protests against Macron’s deeply unpopular pension reform, which the government rammed through parliament in March without a vote.

While police cannot go on strike, Berlière added, “the government is also well aware of the risk of further roiling a police force that is still perfectly capable of paralysing law enforcement.”

Over the past week, several hundred police officers in Marseille have gone on sick leave in protest over their colleague’s detention, according to unnamed union sources. Others have put themselves under so-called “code 562”, which means that they only respond to emergency and essential missions.

While the exact numbers are not known, they are sufficiently high to alarm the authorities in Paris, said Berlière.

“In recent months, the government has already seen its legitimacy challenged by street protesters and parts of the opposition,” he said. “It cannot afford a challenge from the police, too.”

Seeking to stave off further unrest in the ranks, France’s interior minister on Thursday said he understood the frustration and anger voiced by overworked security forces after repeated bouts of street violence.

“I want to say that I can understand this fatigue, sadness and emotion,” Darmanin said before heading into a meeting with police union representatives. He also urged police not to let down the population and serve the public interest.

A crisis of authority

Critics of Macron’s cautious response have argued that it trivialises what amounts to a serious challenge to the rule of law.

In an editorial on Wednesday, French daily Le Monde described the president’s stance as an “admission of weakness” in the face of a police force that “is becoming increasingly difficult to control”.

A noted police expert, Sebastian Roché, tweeted his concern about what is at stake, warning that the police chiefs’ comments undermined the “cardinal principle” of equality before the law.

In an interview with investigative weekly Mediapart, Roché said Macron’s words left the impression that “he doesn’t really know, or at best doesn’t appreciate, the extent of this unprecedented transgression under the Fifth Republic”.

The president’s refusal to comment on Veaux’s remarks “reflects his political weakness and fragility”, he added. “It’s as if he were saying ‘I’m not in charge’.”

Speaking to FRANCE 24 at the height of the pension unrest earlier this year, Roché described the police crackdown on protests as a consequence of both a French policing tradition and the government’s fragility.

Heavy-handed policing stems from the “crisis of authority” undermining Macron’s minority and deeply unpopular government, Roché explained. “When a government chooses force it is always because its authority is weakened,” he added.

Echoing such views, political analyst Emmanuel Blanchard argued in an interview with left-leaning daily Libération that the government’s reliance on law enforcement to quell social unrest “has weakened its position in relation to the police”.

“It’s a cyclical trend: the less popular legitimacy the government enjoys, the more it relies on the forces of law and order, which it needs to suppress social movements,” Blanchard explained. “So it gives them (the police) guarantees. This leads to forms of empowerment, which can lead to protests like the one we are currently seeing.”

A history of unrest

France has a long history of police protests and unrest – one governments are well aware of.

“Contrary to what is commonly assumed, the police are not always a passive and obedient instrument in the hands of the executive power,” Berlière noted. “One doesn’t have to be a historian to have some idea of the perils for a government of alienating law enforcement.”

In 1958, widespread police unrest helped precipitate the fall of the troubled Fourth Republic, a parliamentarian regime that was replaced by the current presidential system instituted by World War II hero Charles de Gaulle.

Decades later, in March 1983, some 2,000 officers marched on the justice ministry in Paris calling for the removal of Robert Badinter, the justice minister who helped abolish the death penalty and whom they deemed soft on crime. That move backfired, however, as then-president François Mitterrand swiftly moved to dismiss France’s top police chiefs and punish union leaders.

“If certain police officers, an active minority, have failed in their duty, the duty of those in charge of the Republic is to strike and ensure that the authority of the state is respected,” Mitterrand said in televised remarks that have resurfaced on social media in recent days, posted by critics of Macron’s more cautious approach.

Such comparisons have little pertinence, Berlière argued, pointing to widely differing contexts.

“Back in 1983 there were no riots and no street protests to be wary of,” he said. “And while the revolt against Badinter was led by a fringe, far-right union, Macron and his government are aware that hardline unions are more powerful today and that the officers’ protest in Marseille is broadly supported.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is the longstanding animosity between the police and the judiciary, which has underpinned this and other disputes.

In May 2021, police unions vented their anger at the justice system during a rally outside the National Assembly in Paris, attended by politicians of all stripes. Union leaders could be heard stating that “the police’s problem is the judiciary” and calling for “constitutional constraints” to be “breached”.

Police protesters rally outside the National Assembly in Paris on May 19, 2021, venting their anger at a judiciary they deem too lax. © Thomas Coex, AFP

Police unions routinely accuse the judges of being too lenient with criminals and too harsh with officers. Magistrates’ unions, meanwhile, accuse police authorities of “hijacking” the judiciary to repress protest movements, notably through the use of arbitrary or “preventive” arrests that seldom lead to prosecution.

The comments by Veaux and Nunez, France’s most senior police officials, take the dispute to a new level, reflecting the police hierarchy’s concern to appear in step with an increasingly disgruntled – and radicalised – base.

“Many in the police perceive the decision to jail their colleague in Marseille as a case of judges abusing their powers and seeking to settle scores,” said Berlière, noting that officers are seldom remanded in custody pending a trial.

“As for magistrates, they see the police action as a form of interference with the judiciary and of disregard for the separation of powers,” he added.

‘Worrying silence’

In its editorial on Wednesday, Le Monde said Veaux’s remarks threatened to open “a new chapter in the war between police and the judiciary”, while also “calling into question the principles of the rule of law, namely the independence of the judiciary, the separation of powers and equality before the law”.

In such a context, the newspaper expressed concern at the government’s “worrying silence”.

Éric Dupond-Moretti, the justice minister, waited until Macron’s comments before tweeting that the independence of judicial officials is “an indispensable condition for respect of the rule of law”.

His colleague at the interior ministry, who is Veaux’s direct boss, waited a full week before breaking his silence on the matter. In his comments on Thursday, Darmanin expressed support for the police chief, whose remarks in Le Parisien had been approved by the minister’s cabinet.

“Police officers cannot be the only people in France for whom presumption of innocence (…) is replaced by a presumption of guilt,” the minister told reporters outside a police station in Paris, in remarks that a representative body of French magistrates promptly described as an “alarming” attack on the judiciary’s “impartiality”.

Darmanin later told police unions he would examine their demands for greater protection for officers, including those facing legal investigations. He also pledged to visit Marseille in the coming days to express support for police in the southern city plagued by gang violence.

Overall, Macron and his ministers appear more concerned to “calm things down” than to reassert the state’s authority over the police, Le Monde wrote, pointing to a delicate balancing act as France prepares to host a series of major sporting events.

With the country set to host the Rugby World Cup from September and the Olympic Games next year, Macron “certainly cannot afford the luxury of an open crisis with those who maintain public order”, the paper noted.

But the president’s decision to shirk a fight will do little to appease the wider nation and address the root causes of urban riots in France, Le Monde cautioned, noting that the worst cases of rioting this century have been triggered by police blunders and that the country “is suffering from a very poor relationship between the police and a section of the population”.

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#Macron #walks #tightrope #French #police #protest #challenges #rule #law

How Ukraine lost its battle for a NATO membership commitment

Post By Politics Aid and development, Emmanuel Macron, France, Germany, Joe Biden, military, nato, NATO Summit, Olaf Scholz, Russia, Russian politics, State aid, Ukraine, Ukrainian politics, United States, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, War In Ukraine

VILNIUS — Ukraine wanted this year’s NATO summit to end with a clear declaration that it will become an alliance member once the war ends, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is leaving Lithuania without that ultimate prize.

For weeks, Ukrainian officials pushed their counterparts in the United States and Europe to draft language that offered a timeline and clear path toward membership. The communiqué allies released Tuesday fell short of that, stating instead that “we will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine when allies agree and conditions are met.”

That line proved a deep disappointment for Kyiv, which raged behind the scenes as the U.S. and Germany resisted pressure to offer Ukraine concrete pledges. It was particularly upset at the vague reference to conditions, seeing it as a potential arbitrary roadblock to membership.

Ukraine’s leadership reached out to Washington and Berlin to make its displeasure felt, ending in Zelenskyy firing off an irritated tweet on Tuesday referring to the confidential draft text as “unprecedented and absurd.”

“It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance,” the president fumed to his 7.3 million followers.

The battle over the communiqué left Kyiv unhappy with the process.

Ukrainians were “disappointed with how NATO works” and felt there was “no real dialogue” with the alliance on the issue, said a Ukrainian official familiar with the negotiations.

Ukraine’s backers, to the tune of billions in military and economic assistance, were blindsided by Zelenskyy’s anger.

Even some of Kyiv’s closest friends within NATO were taken aback, seeing the blunt social media criticism from Ukraine’s president as unhelpful and unwarranted during the sensitive diplomatic negotiations.

“We take the tweet as an unfortunate expression of frustration,” said a senior diplomat from Northern Europe.

The tweet, coming just as NATO leaders were preparing to meet in Vilnius, added more tension to diplomats’ last-minute efforts to finalize the contentious text, which was ultimately published on Tuesday evening.

“We saw his tweet same time as everyone else did,” said a senior Biden administration official. “I think everyone understands the pressure he is feeling, and we’re confident that the commitments made at Vilnius will serve the long-term defense needs of Ukraine.”

Backing off

But by Wednesday, everyone was making an effort to tone down emotions.

Officials highlighted the package NATO leaders agreed for Ukraine, which includes a multiyear program to help forces transition to Western standards and the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Council, along with a decision to drop the need for a so-called Membership Action Plan (MAP) — a path of reforms ahead of joining.

And in a gesture intended to underline Western governments’ backing for the Ukrainian cause, G7 leaders issued a declaration on Wednesday afternoon on long-term security commitments for Ukraine. That will see governments making bilateral deals to provide security assistance, training and other support.

“I believe the package for Ukraine is good and a solid basis for a closer relationship on the path to membership,” said the senior diplomat from Northern Europe.

An angry Kremlin said of the G7 action: “We believe that it’s a mistake and it can be very dangerous.”

In the end, the specter of Russia’s aggression proved to be a unifying force.

“The tweet did not change anything in that sense,” the senior diplomat said, adding that the G7 declaration was “also positive and many allies already said they will join” and that “the mood today was very warm and friendly.”

French officials, meanwhile, were keen to showcase understanding and empathy for the Ukrainian leader.

“He’s in his role as head of a state at war and war chief. He’s putting pressure on the allies,” French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu told French TV on Tuesday.

“You have to put yourself in his shoes, there was a commitment in Bucharest, and we know what happened next,” he added, referring to a NATO summit in 2008 when the military alliance made vague promises Ukraine would eventually become a member.

For French President Emmanuel Macron, the Vilnius summit was a key moment to show unwavering support for Kyiv — after months of being perceived by Central and Eastern European leaders as being too conciliatory to Moscow.

“It’s legitimate for the Ukrainian president to be demanding with us,” Macron told reporters on Wednesday.

Bygones

On the Ukrainian side, there was also an acknowledgment that Wednesday’s talks brightened the mood.

“The meetings with the NATO leaders were really good,” said the Ukrainian official. The country “got the clear signals that our membership in NATO will not be a bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia … this was the main fear.”

“So, despite the lack of clarity in the text of declaration on Ukraine’s membership path, the meetings showed that there is the commitment to deepen the relations,” the official said. But, they noted: “Of course, it’s not the same as clear fixed commitment in the joint declaration.”

Zelenskyy himself, who was in Vilnius to attend the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, also took a more positive tone in press appearances, expressing his thanks for the decision to drop the MAP requirement, gratitude for allies and praising the G7 commitments.

“I haven’t changed my point of view,” he insisted when probed about the difference in tone from the previous day.

“What’s most important is that we have a common understanding on the conditions on when and under which conditions Ukraine would be in NATO — maybe not all the details were communicated, but for me it was very important that it depends on the security.”

And asked about fears in Kyiv that NATO membership could end up as a chip in future negotiations with Russia, he was firm that this would not be acceptable.

“I’m sure that there won’t be betrayal from [U.S. President Joe] Biden or [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz,” Zelenskyy said, “but still I need to say that we will never exchange any status for any of our territories — even if it’s only one village with the population of one old man.”

Speaking to a crowd in Vilnius on Wednesday evening, Biden stressed that the West is there for Kyiv.

“We will not waver. I mean that. Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken,” Biden said.

And as the summit wrapped up, many officials were quick to try to put the tensions behind them.

“I consider this episode closed,” said a senior diplomat from Eastern Europe. “It is more important to look forward. We have a process in front of us. Let’s work on it!”

“It’s all ended well,” quipped a senior NATO official, adding: “that will do for me”

Laura Kayali and Alex Ward contributed reporting.

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#Ukraine #lost #battle #NATO #membership #commitment

France seeks answers as Macron declares riots ‘peak’ passed

Post By World Emmanuel Macron, france protests, France violence

France’s President Emmanuel Macron addresses mayors of cities affected by the violent clashes that erupted after a teen was shot dead by police last week, during a meeting at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, France on July 4, 2023.
| Photo Credit: VIA REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday met with hundreds of French officials to begin exploring the “deeper reasons” for the country’s plunge into riots after the killing of a teenager at a traffic stop.

The Elysee palace meeting with around 250 mayors, whose municipalities suffered damage over a week of violence, comes as the authorities reported a much calmer night across the country.

“Is it a permanent return to calm? I will be cautious, but the peak that we’ve seen in previous days has passed,” Mr. Macron said, according to a participant.

“We all want a lasting, republican order,” he said. “That’s the absolute priority.”

The government has battled riots and looting since 17-year-old Nahel M. was killed by an officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday just outside Paris, rekindling long-standing accusations of systemic racism among security forces.

Overnight violence in French cities had halved in 24 hours, the Interior Ministry said, with 72 people arrested overnight nationwide.

That included 24 arrested in and around Paris, where the riots first broke out.

The Interior Ministry said dozens of buildings were damaged — including attacks on four offices of police or gendarmes — but there were no injuries.

More than 150 vehicles had been set ablaze, and hundreds of fires started in rubbish bins or other public areas.

Police mobilisation had been kept at the same level as the two previous nights, at 45,000 across France.

Mayors across France had held rallies Monday calling for an end to the violent clashes.

Their call for a “return to republican order” came after the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was rammed with a burning car, prompting widespread outrage.

In an overnight tweet, Mr. Macron thanked police, gendarmes and firefighters for their “extraordinary mobilisation in these recent nights”, after meeting with police late Monday.

At the gathering of mayors, Mr. Macron was hoping to “start the painstaking, long-term work needed to understand the deeper reasons that led to these events”, an official at the President’s office said.

Just under 4,000 arrests have been made since Friday, including more than 1,200 minors, according to Justice Ministry figures.

Mr. Macron raised the idea of handing out quick-fire fines to the parents of children caught for vandalism or robberies.

“With the first crime, we need to find a way of sanctioning the families financially and easily,” he said, according to comments reported by the Parisien newspaper.

French businesses were meanwhile counting the cost of the seven nights of rioting which left countless shops and other outlets vandalised.

“They destroyed everything,” said Alexandre Manchon, who works in a tobacconist’s in the southern city of Marseille which has seen some of the worst looting.

“None of this is our doing, we are just working people who get up at five in the morning so we can feed our children and families,” he told AFP.

Despite the fall in violent incidents “everybody worries that it may be a false calm”, said Abdelhamid Faddeoui, who runs private security firm Aetos Securite Privee.

In Pictures | Unrest in France

French riot police officers walk next to a vehicle upside down during the fifth day of protests in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.

A vehicle is seen upside down during the fifth day of protests following the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer in Nanterre during a traffic stop, in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.

The mother of killed 17-year-old Nahel, at left on truck, gestures during a march for Nahel, on June 29, 2023 in Nanterre, outside Paris. The killing of Nahel during a traffic check Tuesday, captured on video, shocked the country and stirred up long-simmering tensions between young people and police in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods around France.

People demonstrate in Concorde on June 30, 2023 in Paris, France.

A person reacts while a police officer holds a baton during protests in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.

Firefighters extinguish an overturned burning car after clashes erupted during a memorial march for French teenager Nahel, shot by police during a traffic control stop several days ago, on June 29, 2023 in Nanterre, France.

Police detain young people during the fifth night of protests in the Champs Elysees area, in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.

Firefighters use a water hose on a burnt bus in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, on July 1, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron urged parents Friday to keep teenagers at home and proposed restrictions on social media to quell rioting spreading across France over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver.

A container burns as people protest following the death of Nahel, in Paris, France, on June 30, 2023

Protesters clash with police, following the death of Nahel in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, on June 29, 2023.

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 30: People demonstrate in Concorde on June 30, 2023 in Paris, France.

A group of police officers walk during a protest in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, on July 1, 2023.

Protesters hold a banner which reads “Rest in peace, Nahel” as they attend a march in tribute to Nahel, in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, on June 29, 2023.

A firefighter extinguishes fire from a car, burnt during night clashes between protesters and police at the Alma district in Roubaix, northern France, on June 30, 2023.

People look at a building of the Tessi group, burnt during night clashes between protesters and police at the Alma district in Roubaix, northern France, on June 30, 2023.

Youth light flares on Concorde square during a protest in Paris, France, Friday, on June 30, 2023.

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“Most of my clients are maintaining a high level of protection.”

Employers’ organisations called on the government to create an emergency fund “for those who lost everything”.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday the government may allow businesses in the riots to suspend tax and social security payments as they rebuild.

Police meanwhile said it questioned one of the passengers in the car driven by Nahel M., who had turned himself in, to find out more about the exact circumstances of the shooting.

The policeman who fired the lethal shot remained in custody Tuesday, charged with homicide.

An online collection for the family of the 38-year old, launched by far-right figure Jean Messiha, has gathered more 1.4 million euros ($1.5 million), sparking outrage among the political left.

“It pays to kill a young Arab,” tweeted Manon Aubry, a European Parliament deputy for the hard-left LFI party.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also expressed her unease with the initiative, saying it did not “contribute to calming the situation”.

A fund to support the family of Nahel has run to just under 346,000 euros.

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#France #seeks #answers #Macron #declares #riots #peak #passed

France braces for new violence as teen laid to rest

Post By World Emmanuel Macron, France, France civil unrest, France Nahel killing, France President, france protests, france shooting, France unrest

Protesters run from launched tear gas canisters during clashes with police in Marseille, southern France on July 1, 2023, after a fourth consecutive night of rioting in France over the killing of a teenager by police.
| Photo Credit: AFP

French authorities on July 1 (Saturday) prepared for a fifth consecutive night of rioting by sending reinforcements to flashpoint cities as the 17-year-old whose killing by a policeman sparked the violent protests was laid to rest.

Police arrested 1,311 people overnight Friday to Saturday, the highest figure since the violent protests began over the point-blank killing by a policeman of Nahel M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.

Shops were ransacked and town halls attacked in various locations nationwide by gangs, often made up of teens organised on social media and armed with fireworks.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters that 45,000 members of the security forces would be deployed overnight Saturday to Sunday — the same number as the night before — but with additional forces and equipment sent to Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille which saw the worst rioting the previous night.

Numbers would be “considerably reinforced” in these cities “in order to completely restore republican order”, Mr. Darmanin said.

The protests over the death of the teen, who was of Algerian origin, have again exposed the severe racial tensions in modern France and increased scrutiny on the police who have long been accused of singling out minorities.

The crisis is a hugely unwelcome development for President Emmanuel Macron, who was looking forward to pressing on with his second mandate after seeing off protests that erupted in January over raising the pensions age.

In a sign of the seriousness of the crisis, he postponed a state visit to Germany scheduled to begin Sunday.