STORY: :: Biden and Macron welcome the return of four
Israeli hostages during meeting in Paris
:: June 8, 2024
:: Emmanuel Macron, President of France
"We want to obtain the immediate release of the hostages, and as such, we welcome the four Israeli hostages released today by the Israeli army. We want to achieve an immediate ceasefire and open the prospect of a political solution, the only way of creating the conditions for a just and lasting peace and responding to the security demands of the two peoples."
:: Joe Biden, U.S. President
"But before I begin my remarks, I want to echo President Macron's comments welcoming the safe rescue for hostages that were returned to their families in Israel. We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached. That is essential to happen."
:: The two leaders also vowed to double efforts
to reduce tensions in Lebanon and Iran
France and the United States will double their efforts to avoid the Middle East exploding, notably in Lebanon, where there is urgency to reduce tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Macron said.
Macron said that Paris and Washington also saw an escalation strategy by Iran in the region and that the two countries were determined to exert the necessary pressure to stop this trend.
