French President Emmanuel Macron flies into Washington Monday on a three-day state visit expected to test his much-vaunted “friendship” with US counterpart Donald Trump, as the leaders tackle deep differences over Iran and other key dossiers.
In an interview broadcast on the eve of his departure, Macron rehearsed the arguments he will likely put to the US leader on America’s trade fights, the Syrian conflict, and the imperiled nuclear deal with Tehran that Trump is threatening to quit.
But as the first state visit of the Trump era kicks off Monday, such thorny issues will be on the back burner — with the warm ties between the 40-year-old French leader and his American host instead on full display.
Less than a year after they shared an intimate meal on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, Trump and First Lady Melania will host Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron for a private dinner at Mount Vernon, the home of the first US president George Washington.
The serious business kicks in Tuesday with meetings at the White House followed by a state dinner, and on Wednesday the centrist leader will demonstrate his English-language skills — a rarity for a French president — in an address to a joint session of Congress.
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Source: Seychelles News Agency
