In his speech to the UN General Assembly this Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron said that his country will only make trade agreements with other countries who are participating in the Paris Climate Agreement.
“We will no longer sign commercial agreements with powers that do not respect the Paris accord,” he told the assembly.
Although Macron didn’t call out the U.S. by name, many saw his comments as a direct message to President Trump. The U.S. is currently the only country not a part of the agreement since Trump withdrew last year.
As a result of its non-participation, the U.S. will fall short of climate goals outlined in the deal.
Abandoning the Paris deal was part of a litany of moves enacted by the Trump administration designed to undermine former President Obama’s climate policies.
The Paris accord wasn’t the only subject Macron used to swipe at Trump during his speech. The French president also indirectly slammed the U.S. over what he sees as its flawed role in mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“What can resolve the crisis between Israel and Palestine?” Macron asked rhetorically. “Not unilateral initiatives, nor trampling on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to legitimate peace. “There is no credible alternative to the two-state solution.”
As Haaretz points out, Macron was responding to Trump’s comments that “the United States is committed to a future of peace in the Middle East, including between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That aim has been advanced, not harmed.” Trump added that “America’s policy of principled realism means we will not be held hostage to so-called experts who have been proven wrong over the years time and time again.”
“We will not return to the Human Rights Council until real reform is enacted. We will also not provide any support to the International Criminal Court,” Trump said, adding that “the ICC has no authority. It violates all principles of justice and due process. We will never surrender America’s sovereignty. We reject the ideology of globalism. America is governed by Americans.”
Trump also said that the U.S. will cut its share of the UN peacekeeping budget to under 25 percent.
Featured image via screen grab
