Why Paris conference on Mideast peace was a success
In an interview with Al-Monitor, senior French diplomat Pierre Vimont says that the Jan. 15 Paris conference reaffirmed that a two-state solution is the only viable option for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
In charge of the Paris conference on the Middle East on behalf of the Quai d'Orsay, Pierre Vimont, a senior French diplomat who was the executive secretary-general of the European External Action Service in Brussels from 2010 to 2015, shared his views with Al-Monitor on the main results of the meeting that took place Jan. 15.
A graduate of the French National School of Administration, Vimont was ambassador and permanent representative of France to the European Union from 1999 to 2002. He then served three consecutive French foreign ministers as chief of staff to Dominique de Villepin, Michel Barnier and Philippe Douste-Blazy from 2002 to 2007. He was ambassador of France to the United States from 2007 to 2010. Vimont is currently the ombudsman of the French Foreign Ministry and teaches EU affairs at Columbia University in New York.
