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Europe Today: Lebanese minister speaks to Euronews as Israeli strikes leave 1,200 dead in Lebanon
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NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning, it is Tuesday the 31st of March. I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today.
00:21Your daily catch-up of European news and context live here on Euronews.
00:26Coming up, Donald Trump says he will, quote, obliterate Iran's power stations if the regime does not agree to his
00:34peace terms, quote, shortly.
00:36Tehran has dismissed the demands as, quote, excessive, unrealistic and irrational.
00:41We'll get the latest from Euronews' Persian news desk.
00:44And all eyes on Lebanon, where two more UN peacekeepers have been killed in Israeli strikes,
00:50bringing the death toll to over 1,200 in Israel's ongoing attacks, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
00:57Over 1.2 million people have meanwhile fled their homes.
01:00We'll speak exclusively to the Lebanese justice minister.
01:03But first, finance and energy ministers from the world's seven most industrialized nations say they're ready to take, quote,
01:11any necessary measures to stabilize energy markets, but they stop short of announcing concrete action.
01:17France, which holds the rotating presidency, says the conflict in the Middle East is already having economic and financial repercussions
01:25with possible inflationary effects.
01:28For more, we're joined here on set by our Europe editor-in-chief, Maria Tadeo, who's been covering G7 meetings
01:33for years.
01:33Good morning, Maria.
01:34So what did you make of yesterday's talks?
01:36Yes, well, Maeve, look, we can talk about the G7, whether it's relevant or not relevant,
01:41whether or not it's the G6, without the United States, can you look at the global economy without India and
01:47China?
01:47Of course, those are very valid debates.
01:49But when the G7 meets, especially in the context of a crisis, that is important.
01:54And it also sends a signal to the world that they will take action together.
01:59And yesterday in that meeting, which was hosted by France with the rotating presidency,
02:03the G7 agreed, quote, and hopefully we can put it up on the board,
02:08that they will take all the necessary actions to intervene in this energy market
02:13to preserve the stability and the security of a very volatile energy global market.
02:21Now, at this point, we've seen that oil prices, Brent crude yesterday touching $150 a barrel.
02:27We've now had practically four weeks of oil hovering around $100 a barrel.
02:33Obviously, that has enormous implications for the global economy.
02:37The G7 reiterated yesterday that they will take and are ready to take measures.
02:41They will do so in a coordinated manner.
02:43And they also urged the countries around the world should not restrict oil exports.
02:47Now, all of that is a strong message, you could argue.
02:50The issue coming out of that meeting is that there were no specific actions
02:54and there were no concrete measures that were announced.
02:57So in a way, it was, yes, all words and no actions.
02:59Remember, just a few weeks ago, the International Energy Agency agreed to release
03:05a massive strategic reserve of oil, 400 million barrels, entered the global economy.
03:10That was not the case yesterday.
03:12There was no indication that that will happen anytime soon before the reassurance with,
03:18yes, we'll take actions, but it's unclear what they will look like.
03:21And then, of course, Maeve, there's a big question around the focus point of this crisis,
03:25which is the Strait of Hormuz, which remains shut, 20% of the global oil transits through
03:30that waterway.
03:31It's unclear whether it will reopen.
03:33And to that extent, there's also a big question now in terms of the military operation.
03:37Is this weeks or will it be months?
03:39And then this overall theme, which is, is the U.S. preparing for a ground invasion of Iran,
03:45certainly when it comes to Kargai Island, which, of course, homes the oil terminals of Iran.
03:50So a lot of that means uncertainty, volatility that feeds inevitably into the market and prices.
03:56And a lot of nervousness, of course, in this town, but on the EU contemplating their own
03:59measures, too.
04:00Well, yes.
04:01And look, when you look at the EU, there's two ways this can go.
04:03You can look at the national measures, which usually means a government will say, look,
04:07at this point, I got to cut VAT taxes on electricity bills, on energy bills for households.
04:14They could also put in forward subsidies that the same could apply for industries.
04:18The issue with the EU is that not every country has the same capacity.
04:22They do not have the same fiscal room to put forward measures.
04:26The other point, which is relevant, however, is the EU measures.
04:30We know that they've looked at things like a windfall tax.
04:32They've also looked at things that could look at, you know, buy-in in common, bulk buy-in,
04:38but also very relevant.
04:39Yesterday, the commission in a letter, which we have here, is now urging member states,
04:45and this is very relevant, to also put in place demand-saving measures.
04:50This means, of course, that you try to tackle this issue through the demand, the use of energy.
04:55That could also mean, look, in this Easter break, don't get on a plane, maybe drive less.
05:01And some interesting numbers also coming in.
05:03With the EU now estimating that the bill, just the bill in additional cost of fossil fuels,
05:08is 13 billion euros.
05:11So, obviously, that leads to a big question about stagflation, lower growth and more inflation.
05:16Indeed, Maria Shea, thank you so much for all those details.
05:18And, of course, you can read more about all that on our website, euronews.com.
05:22And just in case you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed by that update,
05:26our Jakob Yanis has been taking a look at what individual EU countries are doing
05:30to address this immediate crisis.
05:33The war in Iran might seem far away, but its oil is not.
05:38For European drivers, the pain at the pump is very real,
05:41with some countries seeing price spikes of over 30%.
05:45So, if you are curious how European governments are stepping in to help,
05:50let's look at different strategies together.
05:54Spain went big, rolling out a 5 billion euro package
05:59and slashing VAT on motor fuels from 21% down to 10%.
06:03And Madrid claims this will reduce petrol prices by around 30 euro cents per litre.
06:08And Poland followed with fuel VAT dropping from 23% to just 8,
06:14saving drivers roughly the equivalent of 30 euro cents.
06:18Crucially, Warsaw is also introducing price controls.
06:22Hungary also opted for strict price controls, capping fuel prices.
06:26But there is a catch.
06:28It only applies to vehicles with Hungarian number plates
06:31to stop cross-border fuel tourism.
06:34And Germany and Austria are taking a regulatory route.
06:38Berlin is pushing a rule allowing petrol stations to rise prices only once a day at noon,
06:43while Vienna limits hikes to three times a week.
06:47And in France, the state has avoided massive tax cuts,
06:51relying instead on corporate giants like Total Energies to voluntary cap prices.
06:56So who would actually benefit?
06:59Well, European citizens could,
07:01providing oil companies do not simply absorb the tax differences.
07:05And Italy, for instance, is already threatening to sanction companies trying to inflate margins.
07:10And you see, for European politicians,
07:13spending public money is an expensive move.
07:16But there is almost no public appetite to join the US and Israel in active conflict.
07:20And your reporter saw this pushback at the recent G7 summit.
07:25Despite Washington's pressure to immediately secure the Strait of Hormuz,
07:29Europe offered a firm reality check.
07:32They will help protect the critical waterway,
07:35but only after the war in Iran ends.
07:37So until then, perhaps consider using a bike.
07:41Huh, like Mark Rutter.
07:47Now, moving on, the European Union has condemned a decision by Israel's parliament
07:52to pass a law making the death penalty by hanging a reality
07:56for all Palestinians convicted in military courts.
07:59In a draft statement exclusively seen by Euronews this morning,
08:02the EU says, quote,
08:03capital punishment is a violation to the right to life.
08:07This, as Israel continues, their attacks on southern Lebanon
08:10in what now has been called an invasion.
08:13For the view from Beirut, Euronews's editor, Maria Tadeo,
08:16spoke exclusively to the Lebanese Justice Minister, Adel Nazar.
08:20We condemn, obviously, all the attacks,
08:23and in particular also all the ground attacks
08:27and the occupation of our territory.
08:29And one has to understand that occupying a territory
08:34will never solve the problems.
08:36The only way to solve the problems
08:39when two countries are in a situation of conflict
08:42is to go into negotiation.
08:44The occupation of territory is obviously condemned
08:47and we cannot accept this statement.
08:52And, Minister, on that note,
08:54going back to the Israeli Prime Minister,
08:56yesterday he said that Israel had managed
08:58to almost eradicate Hezbollah,
09:00but residues of it still exist.
09:02And the situation in the north of Israel
09:05has to fundamentally change.
09:07You talk about occupation.
09:09What do you think Israel has in mind?
09:12I cannot speculate on what Israel has in mind.
09:15It's obvious that Israel had a host of attacks
09:20against Lebanon,
09:22and Lebanon is suffering from such attacks,
09:26and there was huge destructions,
09:28a lot of killed persons,
09:31injured and displaced persons.
09:33Now we are facing a displacement
09:36of more than one million inhabitants.
09:39So the situation is dramatic
09:41in terms of human rights,
09:43in terms of humanitarian situation,
09:46and the government with little resources,
09:49very limited resources,
09:51is facing a dramatic situation.
09:54This being said,
09:56this being said,
09:57we are also fully aware
09:59that we have an internal problem,
10:02and we don't like,
10:03and we refuse to make it as a problem
10:06that is being raised by Israel,
10:08but it is a problem
10:09that we are raising ourselves,
10:11which is the fact that Hezbollah
10:13is keeping a military infrastructure,
10:16and this is against
10:17the Lebanese government's will,
10:19it is against the law,
10:20and the position of the government
10:22is to take all the steps required
10:25to put an end to this military,
10:29let's say, infrastructure
10:31that is being used,
10:33if we make a small analysis,
10:36one will see that this is being used
10:40as if Lebanon was a military base
10:42in favor of Iran,
10:43and we refuse this also.
10:45And to that extent,
10:47I spoke with your prime minister
10:48two months ago,
10:49who said that he would not allow
10:51Hezbollah to drag Lebanon
10:53into a war directly with Israel.
10:55Nonetheless,
10:55you talk about occupation.
10:57Obviously,
10:57you also know
10:58there is now concerns
10:59that this is heading
11:00for an invasion of Lebanon.
11:02So how do you get out of this?
11:04What can you do internally,
11:06but also externally?
11:08We are fully aware
11:10that our position is very difficult,
11:12because in one hand,
11:14there are the Israeli attacks,
11:16and on the other hand,
11:17there is Hezbollah
11:18undermining the state.
11:20We are aware
11:22that practically,
11:24in order to be able
11:26to conduct efficient negotiations,
11:29we have to hold the decision
11:32of war and peace,
11:33and not to have
11:35a parallel organization
11:37undermining the state.
11:40On the other hand,
11:41it is also obvious
11:42that we cannot accept
11:44that our territory
11:45be used as a target
11:48by Israel
11:49the way Lebanon
11:51is being targeted.
11:52So we understand
11:53that we have
11:54these two difficult issues
11:55on the table.
11:56Iran is making
11:58a direct interference
12:00in Lebanon's internal policy
12:03and is contributing
12:06to undermine the state.
12:07We have taken
12:09clear decisions
12:10in this respect
12:11in the government,
12:12irrevocable decisions.
12:14The first one
12:15concerns
12:19the monopoly
12:21of the force.
12:22The second is
12:24to declare
12:24the weapons
12:26of Hezbollah
12:26as being against the law.
12:28And courts
12:29are starting
12:29to apply this
12:30to any person
12:32holding weapons,
12:33including
12:34fighters from Hezbollah.
12:36So this is
12:38on the internal aspect.
12:39On the external aspect,
12:41the President
12:42of the Republic
12:43has launched
12:44the idea
12:46of negotiations
12:48to have negotiations
12:49being conducted
12:50and a format
12:52to be agreed upon
12:53in order to stop
12:55the war
12:55that Israel
12:58launched against Lebanon.
13:02And meanwhile,
13:03the strikes continue
13:04between Israel
13:05and Iran
13:05with reports
13:06of explosions
13:07and blackouts
13:08last night
13:08in Teheran
13:09and fears
13:09of an oil spill.
13:11For the latest,
13:12we can cross now
13:12to Euronews,
13:13Leon,
13:13and bring in
13:14the head
13:14of our Persian
13:15news desk,
13:16that's Babak Kamiar.
13:17Good morning,
13:18Babak.
13:18So with now
13:19over one month
13:20of war,
13:20from the information
13:21that you can
13:22and your team
13:22can verify
13:23coming out of Iran,
13:24how are people
13:25doing there
13:25and what is the
13:26situation on the ground?
13:30Listen,
13:31Maeve,
13:31despite more
13:32than a month
13:33of war
13:33with significant
13:34casualties
13:34and damage,
13:36daily life
13:36has not
13:37completely
13:37collapsed.
13:38Internet access
13:39has been largely
13:40cut off
13:41since the beginning
13:42of the war.
13:43In most cases,
13:44people are
13:44effectively
13:45disconnected
13:46from the outside
13:47world.
13:48There are no
13:48major food shortages
13:50so far,
13:51but financial
13:52pressure is intense.
13:54Many people
13:55have lost
13:56their income
13:56and prices
13:57have surged.
13:59For now,
14:00life continues.
14:00you still see
14:01people in restaurants
14:02exercising
14:03and children
14:04playing,
14:05but always
14:06under the shadow
14:07of war.
14:08For many
14:09Iranians,
14:09explosions,
14:10drones and
14:11fighter jets
14:12overhead
14:13has become
14:14part of
14:15everyday life.
14:16Some residents
14:17have chosen
14:18not to leave
14:18cities like Tehran,
14:20not only because
14:21few places
14:21feel truly safe,
14:23but also due
14:24to fears
14:25of looting,
14:26especially as
14:26attacks on
14:27police stations
14:28have weakened
14:29local security
14:30in some areas.
14:31In the past
14:32two days,
14:33electricity cuts
14:34have been reported
14:35in several parts
14:36of the countries.
14:37In most cases,
14:38power was restored
14:39after a short time.
14:40However,
14:41it remains unclear
14:42how the situation
14:44would evolve
14:45if major energy
14:46infrastructure
14:47or power plants
14:49were directly
14:50targeted.
14:50What is certain
14:51is that any
14:52larger-scale
14:53damage to
14:54these facilities
14:55would be costly
14:56and time-consuming
14:58to repair
14:59which potentially
15:00serious consequences
15:01for daily life.
15:03And Babak,
15:04it looks like
15:04there's no end
15:05in sight to this war
15:06and no chance
15:07now for diplomacy.
15:08What is the Iranian
15:08regime saying?
15:12Well,
15:13it is still unclear
15:14how much of
15:15the current rhetoric
15:16reflects real intent
15:18and how much
15:19is a strategic bluffing.
15:21What is clear,
15:22however,
15:22is that Iranian
15:23officials
15:24are publicly
15:25maintaining
15:26a firm position
15:27and continue
15:28to warn
15:29of retaliation.
15:31Iran faces
15:31a significant
15:33military imbalance
15:34compared to
15:35the United States
15:36and Israel.
15:37However,
15:38analysts note
15:39that its geography,
15:41especially around
15:42the Strait of Hormuz,
15:43gives Tehran
15:44room to respond
15:45through asymmetric
15:47means,
15:48potentially targeting
15:49shipping routes
15:50or regional assets.
15:52Senior officials
15:52have reinforced
15:54this message.
15:54parliament speaker
15:55dismissed report
15:57of progress
15:58in Prague
15:58as visual thinking
16:00saying Tehran
16:01was waiting
16:02for arrival
16:03of American troops
16:04on the ground.
16:06Yeah,
16:07they are going
16:08to punish
16:09their regional partners
16:10forever.
16:11Okay,
16:11thank you so much
16:13for that update
16:14there from Leon.
16:15Now,
16:16moving on
16:16with the Iran war
16:17showing,
16:17as you heard,
16:18no signs
16:18of slowing down.
16:20The US
16:20is now allegedly
16:21considering redirecting
16:23some of Ukraine's
16:24military aid
16:25towards the Middle East.
16:26This after
16:27President Zelenskyy
16:28concludes a trip
16:28to the Gulf
16:29in search of
16:30financial support.
16:31Meanwhile,
16:32EU foreign ministers
16:32are gathering
16:33in Kyiv today
16:34to mark
16:35the grim
16:36anniversary
16:36of the
16:37Buta massacre
16:37when hundreds
16:38of Ukrainian
16:39civilians
16:39and prisoners
16:40of war
16:40were murdered
16:41by Russian forces.
16:43For more on this,
16:43we're joined here
16:44on set
16:44by our Ukraine
16:45correspondent,
16:46Sasha Vakilina.
16:47Good morning,
16:47Sasha.
16:48Just tell us,
16:48what are the expectations
16:49for this meeting
16:50today in Kyiv?
16:51The European Union
16:52foreign ministers
16:53are in Ukraine's
16:54capital to show
16:55their support
16:56on this very
16:56emotional day
16:57for Ukraine.
16:58The 31st of March
16:59marks four exact years
17:01since the liberation
17:02of Bucha.
17:03This is, of course,
17:04Kyiv's neighbourhood
17:05that was among
17:05the first ones
17:06to be occupied
17:07but also the first ones
17:08to be liberated,
17:08showing for the first time
17:10the proof of the atrocities
17:12of the Russian army.
17:13Now, unfortunately,
17:15the EU ministers
17:15can show this support
17:17but cannot really prove it
17:19because all the Ukraine
17:20decisions remain blocked.
17:22This is the 90 billion euros loan,
17:24this is the new sanctions
17:25against Russia
17:26and all the steps
17:27of the EU accession
17:29for Ukraine.
17:30Announcing the meeting
17:31in Kyiv,
17:32Ukraine's foreign minister
17:34Andriy Sibiha
17:35said that, indeed,
17:38he will be welcome
17:39to glad Kaya Kalas
17:40and the EU foreign ministers
17:41in Kyiv.
17:42We also discussed
17:44the EU's support
17:45for Ukraine,
17:46pressure on Russia
17:47and efforts
17:47to achieve peace
17:48and protect
17:49long-term stability
17:50in Europe.
17:51The key word here, Maeve,
17:52is discuss
17:53and not to decide.
17:55And meanwhile, Sasha,
17:56we're seeing the Europeans
17:57facing a brand new
17:58energy crisis,
17:59whereas, you know,
18:00Moscow's benefiting
18:01from higher crude oil prices
18:03and also sanctions relief.
18:04Fill us in.
18:05Yeah, indeed.
18:06But at the same time,
18:06there have been
18:07several Ukrainian drone
18:09attacks against
18:09Russia's
18:10oil and energy
18:11infrastructure.
18:12Kyiv is continuing
18:14its campaign
18:15attacking Russia's
18:16money-making machine,
18:18of course,
18:19something that is
18:19financing Moscow's
18:20full-scale invasion
18:21of Ukraine.
18:22Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
18:23speaking to the reporters
18:23in the WhatsApp chat
18:24on Monday,
18:25confirmed that even
18:26some of Ukraine partners
18:27approached Kyiv
18:28asking to slow down.
18:31And this is when he said,
18:32first of all,
18:32we are not simply
18:33carrying out strikes.
18:34I want to remind everyone
18:35we are responding
18:37if Ukraine,
18:37if Russia is ready
18:38not to strike
18:39Ukraine's energy
18:40infrastructure,
18:40we will not respond
18:42against this.
18:43Russia knocked out
18:45Ukraine's civilian
18:46infrastructure
18:47during the winter,
18:48leaving millions
18:49of Ukrainians
18:50without water,
18:50heating and electricity
18:52for weeks.
18:53Maeve.
18:53OK, Sasha,
18:54Fakalina,
18:54thank you so much
18:55for that update.
18:56And of course,
18:56for more on that meeting,
18:58you can visit
18:58yournews.com
18:59throughout the day.
19:00But that does bring
19:01this edition of
19:02Europe Today to an end.
19:04For all of our viewers
19:05in Malta today,
19:06happy Freedom Day.
19:07And to the rest,
19:08thank you so much
19:08for tuning in.
19:09As I said,
19:09download your news app
19:11or visit our website
19:12for more news
19:13and context
19:13on all the developing
19:15stories that we're
19:15covering for you here
19:16at Euro News.
19:17Take care.
19:18Thanks for tuning in
19:18and see you very soon
19:19here on Euro News.
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