French President Emmanuel Macron praised the "courageous negotiations" of the UAE and Bahrain in helping to bring stability to the region.
In a UN speech that covered many aspects of the Middle East, Mr Macron said he was pleased the two Arabs states were normalising relations with Israel.
“It's a legitimate recognition and it's also a gauge of hope for the future for lasting and fair peace,” he told the UN General Assembly.
“First and foremost, it requires decisive negotiations that will allow Palestinians to finally enjoy their rights.
"There is no alternative to courageous negotiations, which will in turn require an agreement on the most thorny issues.”
Mr Macron said that for Palestine, Israel and Syria "a credible, lasting political solution is the only way to eradicate terrorism and bring regional peace to the Middle East".
"It's a requirement first for the Israelis and the Palestinians, but also for all of us," he said.
In his 45-minute speech, Mr Macron spoke of bringing about a "Pax Mediterranea", or Mediterranean peace, with Turkey and Greece are growing increasingly hostile over maritime territory.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier indicated in his UN speech that he would ignore international law.
Mr Macron replied: "We respect Turkey, we are ready for dialogue with Turkey but we expect Turkey to respect European sovereignty, international law and to provide clarification about her actions in Libya and in Syria."
He said insults would achieve nothing and had "no place in responsible relations between states".
Europe was ready for dialogue with Turkey to build peace in the Eastern Mediterranean, “but not at the price of intimidation”.
Mr Macron said France would always be strongly engaged in the Middle East "supporting Iraqi sovereignty and will stand at the side of its partners in the Sahel" in defeating ISIS.
But he said the “end of the territorial caliphate is not the end of the war” against ISIS and France would continue to fight extremists alongside its regional partners.
“I also recall the essential role played by Iraq and Iraqis, and the role that they will continue to play in the struggle," Mr Macron said.
"This is why France supports all initiatives that Iraq is undertaking today and will continue to do so for its sovereignty and its role in the fight against terrorism.”
Hinting at Hezbollah’s damage to Lebanon, he condemned the “misguided ways of the Lebanese political class”.
But Mr Macron declared his support for the Lebanese people in finding peace.
“Lebanon is a treasure for all of humanity because it's a kind of exception of democracy and pluralism, in a region that is pushed around by terrorism and hegemonic powers,” he said.
He said that if the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran was discarded, as it has been by the US, it would "further exacerbate tensions in the region".
“It is up to us to make sure that Iran never has access to a nuclear weapon, but also to ensure that we bring a response to Iran's ballistic activities and to its destabilisation in the region,” Mr Macron said.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E646hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E830Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwo-speed%20auto%20(rear%20axle)%3B%20single-speed%20auto%20(front)%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh552%2C311%3B%20Dh660%2C408%20(as%20tested)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The%20specs
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
