Not our war: French citizens’ representative backs decision to stay away from West Asia conflict

Hong Kong/New Delhi: Councillor for French Citizens Abroad in Hong Kong and Macau, Marc Guyon on Friday termed the ongoing conflict in West Asia a “big mess” and called for an end to the war at the earliest.

Speaking to IANS, Guyon backed France’s decision of not being part of the US-led military action, stressing that it is not France’s war as nobody attacked the country.

“It’s a big mess and it has to stop as soon as possible because we cannot afford the cost of this war, any country in the world, including Asia,” he said.

The ongoing conflict in West Asia which began on February 28 following the strikes carried out by Israel and the US on Iran. In response, Iran has launched drone and missile attacks targetting the US and Israeli facilities, regional capitals and allied forces in West Asia.

When asked about his view on France and the United Kingdom’s decision to not participate in the US-Israel led military action, he responded, “I don’t speak on behalf of the French government, but my own perspective is that it’s not our business. We have so many problems to sort out in France and it’s not the right time to send some troops and maybe waste some French lives in the Middle East.”

“It’s not our war. So, we I can understand why Trump does this, it doesn’t mean I support it. It doesn’t mean I want French money to be used for this war. And, it doesn’t mean I want French soldiers to be sent and die there…nobody attacked France. So, I don’t think we have something to do there,” he added.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that it would be “unrealistic” to conduct military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz.

“There are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States. It is unrealistic because it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, (and) a host of other risks,” Euro News quoted Macron as saying during his State Visit to South Korea.

“This can only be done in concert with Iran. So, first and foremost, there must be a ceasefire and a resumption of negotiations,” he added.

IANS