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Trump, Macron Pledge To Work Jointly On Postwar Road Map For Syria, Iraq


Macron Welcomes Trump To Elysee Palace
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WATCH: Macron Welcomes Trump To Elysee Palace

U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington will work with France on a postwar plan for Syria, and with its partners in Iraq to cement victory over Islamic State (IS) fighters in the city of Mosul.

Speaking on July 13 at a Paris news conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said he and Macron had agreed on close cooperation in trying to end the six-year conflict in Syria.

He said Washington and Paris would work together to defeat IS militants whom he called "enemies of humanity...to strip them of their funding, their networks, and their ideological support."

"We have agreed to continue working together, in particular on the building of a road map for the postwar period" in Iraq and Syria, Macron said.

Trump and Macron were also asked about the White House decision to pull out of the Paris climate accords, which aims to slow the production of heat-trapping gases believed to be pushing up global temperatures.

Trump said the two would be discussing the accord over dinner, but was noncommittal about the possibility of some new agreement: "If it happens, that would be wonderful. And if doesn't, that's OK too."

Trump's visit to Paris is tied to the annual celebration of France's biggest holiday, Bastille Day.

Macron invited Trump to mark Bastille Day in Paris during a telephone conversation last month. In addition to being the French national holiday, this year the commemorations will also mark the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I.

According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, only 14 percent of French citizens have confidence in Trump's ability "to do the right thing in world affairs."

The French trip comes less than a week after Trump returned from the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

With reporting by the Financial Times and CNN
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