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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 20 augusT 2019

Putin, Macron hold French-Russian talks before G-7

By SYLVIE CORBET since Trump pulled the U.S.
Associated Press out of the agreement. Rus-
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- sia, along with Britain, Ger-
dent Emmanuel Macron many and China, remains
and Russian President Vlad- a part of the accord.
imir Putin vowed to give a “We worked a lot in recent
new boost to peace talks weeks to prevent unrest” in
with Ukraine and to im- Iran and the whole region,
prove Moscow’s relations Macron said.
with the European Union Macron and Putin said
during a meeting in south- they would discuss the nor-
ern France on Monday. malization of ties with the
But they disagreed on other EU, which remain tense
issues, including Syria and after Russia’s annexation
the Russian crackdown on of Crimea and support
opposition protests. for separatist insurgents in
Macron invited Putin to eastern Ukraine.
his summer residence, the The French president envi-
Fort de Bregancon on the sioned long-term relations
French Riviera, for a meet- between Moscow and
ing followed by dinner, just Brussels based on confi-
a few days before opening dence-building and securi-
a meeting of the Group of French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Fort ty measures —on condition
Seven nations in the city of of Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, southern France, Monday Aug. 19, 2019. the conflict with Ukraine is
Biarritz with U.S. President Associated Press settled.
Donald Trump and other ritz Aug. 24-26. game-changing,” Macron ment, brokered by France “The relation of France and
leaders. Speaking in a joint news said. and Germany, has helped Russia, of Russia and the Eu-
France holds the 2019 pres- conference before the Putin expressed “some op- reduce fighting, but clashes ropean Union is absolutely
idency of the G-7, which meeting, Macron spoke timism” on the subject. have continued and politi- decisive,” Macron said.
also includes Britain, Cana- of his hope that the elec- Both presidents opened the cal settlement has stalled. “I know all the things that
da, Germany, Italy and Ja- tion of Ukraine’s new presi- door to a four-way meeting France and Russia also have divided us, the misun-
pan. Russia was excluded dent, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, involving Ukraine, Russia, agreed to push for de- derstandings over the last
from the group after it an- provides opportunity to re- France and Germany, pos- escalation of tensions be- decades ... I know another
nexed Crimea in 2014. launch negotiations in Rus- sibly in the coming weeks. tween Iran and the U.S. thing, which is that Russia is
Macron intends to share sia’s conflict with the coun- The conflict in eastern Macron has taken a lead European, very profoundly,
the outcomes from his try. Ukraine has killed more role in trying to save the and we believe in a Europe
meeting with Putin with “I think Zelenskiy’s points than 13,000 people since 2015 nuclear accord, which stretches from Lisbon
other world leaders in Biar- of views, his choices are 2014. A 2015 Minsk agree- which has been unraveling (Portugal) to Vladivostok

Wildfire on Canary Islands forces 8,000

people to evacuate

By BARRY HATTON The blaze was racing across being deployed Monday
Associated Press parched woodlands into along with 14 water-drop-
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — An Tamadaba Natural Park, ping aircraft to battle the
out-of-control wildfire in regarded as one of the blaze that started Saturday
Spain’s Canary Islands was jewels on Gran Canaria, a afternoon. The local gov-
throwing flames 50 meters mountainous volcanic is- ernment said around 6,000
(160 feet) into the air on land in the Atlantic Ocean hectares (14,800 acres)
Monday, forcing emergen- archipelago off northwest had been charred in just 48
cy workers to evacuate Africa. Canary Islands Presi- hours, villages were evacu- The fire on the mountains of the Canary Islands in this view taken
from Santa Cruz de Tenerife island, Spain, early Monday, Aug.
more than 8,000 people, dent Ángel Víctor Torres ated and two dozen roads 19, 2019.
authorities said. said 1,100 firefighters were were closed.q Associated Press