Call for new Mideast peace drive


Hello, Mr President: Macron taking a selfie with students during his visit to the National University. — AFP

France and Indonesia called for progress on “mutual recognition” between Israel and the Palestinians at a key meeting next month as Emmanuel Macron visited Jakarta, bringing the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation into his diplomatic efforts.

It came as Paris and Jakarta signed a series of cooperation agreements, with Macron seeking to deepen trade and defence ties with South-East Asia’s largest economy on a three-country tour promoting France as a balancing power between the United States and China.

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