Armistice Day in Europe: Macron warns against nationalism as WWI remembered
Nearly 70 world leaders travelled to Paris to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Monday 12 November 2018 04:47, UK
French President Emmanuel Macron used his speech marking Armistice Day to warn world leaders to "build hope, not fear".
In front of nearly 70 heads of state, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said that nationalism is a "betrayal of patriotism".
His speech at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris marked the centenary of the 1918 Armistice ending First World War, and it came before Donald Trump visited an American cemetery where he hailed US soldiers who fell during the Great War.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin listened in silence as France's president used the occasion to sound a sobering warning about the fragility of peace and the dangers of nations that put themselves first.
Speaking under drizzling rain, Mr Macron said: "The old demons are rising again, ready to complete their task of chaos and of death.
"Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.
"In saying 'Our interests first, whatever happens to the others', you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: Its moral values."
Mr Trump headed separately to the centennial site at the Champs-Elysees for security reasons, while Mr Putin was the last arrive.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stood between Mr Trump and Mr Macron.
Bells marked the armistice hour across the French capital while fighter jets ripped through the AG百家乐在线官网, trailing red, white and blue smoke.
Mr Macron later hosted a leaders' lunch, where guests - including Mr Trump - tucked into lobster from Brittany, France's iconic Bresse chicken, and potatoes from the Somme.
In the afternoon, Mr Trump visited a Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial where more than 1,500 Americans who died during the war are buried.
During a speech, he hailed the "brave Americans who gave their last breath in that mighty struggle".
He said victory came at a "terrible cost" to allied forces that fought and died in the First World War.
"We are gathered together at this hallowed resting place to pay tribute to the brave Americans who gave their last breath in that mighty struggle," he said.
"It is our duty to preserve the civilisation they defended and to protect the peace they so nobly gave their lives to secure one century ago."
On Saturday, Mr Trump was criticised for cancelling a visit to the Belleau Wood battleground northeast of Paris due to bad weather.
Dozens of leaders, except Mr Trump, gathered in Paris later in the day for a peace forum.
Opening the event, Mrs Merkel said: "Most of the challenges today cannot be solved by one nation alone, but together. That's why we need a common approach.
"If isolation wasn't the solution 100 years ago, how can it be today in such an interconnected world?"
Mr Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan were among those who listened as Mrs Merkel, Mr Macron and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutteres praised the UN and institutions like it that seek multilateral solutions to global problems.
Mr Macron said: "Will today be a symbol of lasting peace or a last moment of unity before the world falls into more disorder? It depends solely us."
Elsewhere in Europe, thousands gathered at Ypres in Belgium for a last great act of remembrance.
Eight buglers in greatcoats sounded The Last Post before silence fell among the crowds gathered at Ypres' Menin Gate to pay their respects.