French President Emmanuel Macron said he has secured the agreement of three of the five permanent members of the United Nations' Security Council to back a call by the UN for a global ceasefire so the world can focus on the coronavirus epidemic.
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing a protective face mask, talks with health workers as he visits a medical center in Pantin near Paris as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues in France, April 7, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
The UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the world truce on March 23, warning that in war-torn countries, health systems have collapsed and the small number of health professionals left were often targeted in the fighting. The French leader said he was hopeful of securing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agreement in the coming hours.
“I think that for sure President Putin will agree and the day he says he does, we’ll be able to hold this videoconference and relay this call in a solemn, forceful and efficient way.”
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