French President Emmanuel Macron said he hopes to convince President Trump to remain in the Paris climate change deal when the two leaders talk Monday.
“We consider that this agreement needs to be implemented, and it will be,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters on what to expect from Macron’s meeting on the Paris deal.
France’s top diplomat warned against eroding major international agreements based on “fear or selfishness.”
“We have heard the declarations made by President Trump and his intention not to respect the agreement, and we can only hope to convince him in the long run,” Le Drian said.
Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn met with energy and climate ministers Monday morning to restate President Trump’s resolve in withdrawing from the climate deal unless significant changes are made to balance economic growth with reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, which many scientists blame for driving man-made climate change. The Cohn meeting was held on the sidelines of this week’s U.N. General Assembly in New York, which Trump will address.
From the time Trump announced his intent to exit the deal on June 1, he said he would work to find a way to stay in the agreement if the U.S.’s pro-growth energy terms are meant. But for now, Trump sees the Paris Agreement as “bad” for the United States.
Trump, after meeting with Macron in Paris earlier this year, said he is content with not reaching a deal for the U.S. to stay in.
Another topic Macron will discuss will be on the Iran nuclear arms deal made under the Obama administration. Macron wants Trump to remain in the Iran deal.
Trump is critical of the deal and has threatened to pull out of the agreement. The deal eases economic sanctions if the Islamic Republic dismantles its nuclear weapons program over a period of years.
