Rouhani, Macron talk de-escalation of M-E tensions

New York, Sep 24 (IANS) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron met here on the sidelines of the ongoing 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and discussed ways to de-escalete Middle East tensions and save the 2015 nuclear deal.During the Monday meeting, the two Presidents conferred on de-escalation of ongoing tensions in the Middle East and exchanged views on ways to save the nuclear deal, officially known the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and bilateral relations between Tehran and Paris, Press TV quoted the head of the media office of Iran's mission to the UN as saying.Macron and Rouhani also conferred on the latter's new initiative for peace in the region, named the Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE), which is to be unveiled at his Wednesday UNGA address.Before leaving for New York earlier on Monday, Rouhani said his Peace Initiative was designed to include all countries of the region and aims to expand cooperation beyond regional security.Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also revealed that regional powers including Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Yemen could join the broad regional coalition to ensure security in the Persian Gulf.Meanwhile, Iran has reiterated that it won't sit for bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump at the UNGA, but was open to a multilateral meeting with the P5+1 - including the US - only if Washington ends its economic war against Tehran.
--IANS ksk