From global warming to Iran's nuclear deal, France's president Emmanuel Macron has already intervened in a series of diplomatic quagmires — and now finds himself pursuing an active role in Lebanon's crisis.
He and his ministers have held a flurry of talks with players shaping the turmoil, with Mr Macron jetting to Saudi Arabia last week for surprise talks with the crown prince.
He said France had a role to play in bringing peace to a region suffering soaring tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are already backing opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Like other European governments, France is pushing for Lebanese premier Saad Hariri to return following his shock resignation in Saudi Arabia on November 4 and rumours he is being held there against his will. Although he and Saudi officials have denied such reports.
"France is acting so that all parties exercising an influence in Lebanon commit to the situation going back to normal as quickly as possible," prime minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday.
Mr Hariri himself has sought to downplay the situation, tweeting: "Guys, I am perfectly fine, and God willing I will return in the coming days."
But Lebanon's foreign minister Gebran Bassil, who met with Mr Macron on Tuesday, told a press conference in Paris: "The only thing that will prove he is free to return, is his return."
Lebanon is caught between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Hizbollah, which Mr Hariri has accused of controlling his country.
France had mandate power over both Lebanon and Syria during the first half of the 20th century.
Though the room for manoeuvre is tight, Paris has been using strong regional relationships to push for Mr Hariri's return.
________________
Read more
Lebanese president 'happy to hear' Hariri will return to Lebanon soon
Iran and Hizbollah are plunging Lebanon into a fresh crisis
________________
The Lebanese crisis is not the first time since Mr Macron's election in May in which the young French president has sought an active role in a tense diplomatic situation.
He has repeatedly said he wants to keep the Iranian deal from collapsing despite opposition from US president Donald Trump.
He has also refused to invite Mr Trump to a Paris climate summit next month following Washington's withdrawal from the historic international pact to fight global warming.
And he organised a meeting between Libya's rival leaders in Paris in July at which they agreed a conditional ceasefire and elections for next year.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EXPATS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lulu%20Wang%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicole%20Kidman%2C%20Sarayu%20Blue%2C%20Ji-young%20Yoo%2C%20Brian%20Tee%2C%20Jack%20Huston%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
THE SPECS
GMC Sierra Denali 1500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Price: Dh232,500
