France's Hollande warns Trump protectionism "a dead-end response"

 French President Francois Hollande on Saturday warned his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump about the economic and political consequences of a protectionist approach, calling him on respecting the principle of accepting refugees.

In a telephone conversation between the two leaders, Hollande said that "faced with an unstable and uncertain world, withdrawal into oneself is a dead-end response," according to a press release issued by the Elysee Palace.

Hollande was responding to an executive order signed by Trump on Friday over the suspension of a U.S. refugee resettlement program for 120 days.

During the telephone call, Hollande also stressed the importance of the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Trump has expressed his intention to untie climate policies and promote domestic energy development as part of his "America First" agenda.

With regard to Russia, Hollande reaffirmed his will to continue and intensify dialogue on all subjects, but insisted that the sanctions linked with the situation in Ukraine could only be lifted when the situation in the east of the country is settled with full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

On Syria, Hollande said that the settlement of the issue had to be sought within a framework and under the aegis of the United Nations (UN). "No other solution would be sustainable or credible," he said.

Hollande said that the actions of the UN must be supported by all, starting with the permanent members of the Security Council, and the United Nations remained a "unique and irreplaceable" instrument for resolving conflicts and keeping peace.

"The two heads of state agreed to continue their exchanges on key issues," the press release concluded.

However, the White House statement on Trump-Hollande phone talks highlighted NATO, saying in their discussion, Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to NATO and stressed the importance of all NATO allies sharing the burden on defense spending.

source: Xinhua