Macron: ‘Freedom Is Never More Than One Generation Away From Extinction’

DEBKA
In a speech before the joint houses of the US Congress, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Iran must never possess a nuclear weapon – not in 5 years, not in 10 years – never! He went on to say that even if the US abandoned the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran, France would not – until “something more substantial replaced it.” On this he and President Trump were working, he said. Macron added that the nuclear issue must not lead to another Middle East war and called for respect for the sovereignty of all its nations, including Iran. He also stressed that the US and France must keep their troops in Syrian to continue fighting terrorists. The speech, in which he enlarged at length on joint US-French values and shared history, was frequently punctuated by standing ovations – although only one side of the chamber cheered when the French president condemned fake news as a threat to democracy. President Macron was the first world leader to pay a state visit to the US and address Congress in the Trump presidency.