France and Iran will sign a number of agreements during a landmark visit by the Islamic Republic’s president, Hassan Rouhani, to Paris next week.
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He will then travel to France on November 16-17, where he is expected to give a speech at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris. French President Francois Hollande had planned to host Rouhani at a formal state dinner that evening.
While this is not an official quote, France basically said, “F*ck that”, when it heard about Iran’s request.
During his trip, Mr Rouhani will also meet Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Pope Francis and Italian companies in Rome on Saturday.
The French, RTL said, counter offered with a presumably alcohol-free breakfast – which the Iranians promptly rejected because it appeared too “cheap”.
It’s possible that the real spat is between the two countries’ party planners, and that neither leader was involved in the meal-breaking decision. Incidentally, Hassan Rouhani as well as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently attempted to downplay the meaning of the seemingly offensive term, clarifying that “Death to America”, was aimed at the American way of life that can corrupt Iran’s youth.
A senior French economic and political delegation headed to Tehran in mid-September to lay the groundwork for the first business contracts between France and Iran since an accord to curb its nuclear programme was struck in July. And while he isn’t scheduled to arrive in France until Monday, his visit has already sparked outrage across the country.
In an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, Mr Rouhani suggested that the United States and Iran could open embassies in each other’s capitals after decades of mutual hostility, but said Washington should apologise, without going into further detail.
“During my visit agreement protocols will be signed and this will form the basis for industrial and commercial agreements”, Rouhani said in the interview, which was conducted in Tehran.
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In August, after the successful nuclear deal, Reuters reported that Iran plans to buy as many as 90 planes per year from both Airbus and Boeing.
