France, Saudi Arabia to co-chair conference on establishing Palestinian state

PARIS (AA) – President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair a conference in June in connection with efforts to establish a Palestinian state.

Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, Macron said that he and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, they decided to co-host a conference on creating a Palestinian state.

The planned conference is expected to take place in June next year.

Macron said they aim to combine diplomatic initiatives to bring everyone along this path.

– Macron says he won’t resign –

Separately, Macron said he believes the French government can survive a no-confidence vote when the far-right party of Marine Le Pen is expected to join forces with a left-wing coalition to topple the administration.

The president also said he will not resign before his mandate ends in 2027.

The French government faces the risk of collapse if a no-confidence motion is passed, following the prime minister’s decision to bypass a parliamentary vote to adopt the social security budget.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier invoked Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the controversial social security budget bill, and the session at the National Assembly — the lower house of parliament — was suspended without any debate.