The leaders of France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the European Union called on Wednesday for a “rapid and lasting end” to the conflict in Iran.
“We welcome the two-week ceasefire concluded today between the United States and Iran,” they wrote in a joint statement, specifying that “the objective must now be to negotiate, in the coming days, a rapid and lasting end to the war.”
“This can only be obtained by diplomatic means,” they continued, inviting “all parties to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.”
The United States and Iran both claimed victory Wednesday after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a truce that Israel says it supports but believes does not apply to Lebanon.
The Iranian authorities indicated on Wednesday that talks would take place from Friday with Washington in Pakistan, a key mediator in the Middle East conflict that began on February 28 and which has left thousands dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
“We strongly encourage rapid progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement. This will be crucial to protect the civilian population in Iran and guarantee security in the region,” added the European and Canadian leaders, estimating that this “can help avoid a serious global energy crisis.”
This joint declaration was signed by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the French President Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the British Prime Ministers Keir Starmer, Canadian Mark Carney, Danish Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Rob Jetten, Spanish Pedro Sanchez, the President of the Commission European Union Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Antonio Costa.
/2021/12/14/61b8b9952d5fc_marie-adelaide-scigacz.png "War in the Middle East: Israel leads its most significant series of strikes in Lebanon since the beginning of the war, the White House affirms that the country is not part of the ceasefire agreement.")
