A lunch between French President Francois Hollande and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was cancelled after Hollande refused to take wine off the menu.
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This small detail has turned into a major diplomatic issue. The two planned to dine in an upscale Paris restaurant but after the Iranian President demanded a muslim-friendly halal menu and the French President refused saying it was against France’s republican values.
As an alternative, Hollande proposed a breakfast meeting instead so that both leaders could meet amid a happy medium.
Predictably, or not depending on your point of view, Rouhani declined with his government calling the alternative “too cheap.” This comes just days after many Italian politicians were outraged that their Prime Minister caved to similar demands.
Rouhani is on a tour of Europe as he signs new trade deals worth billions with European nations in the wake of the nuclear deal.
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From the Daily Mail:
A lunch between the French and Iranian presidents in Paris was scrapped today because France refused to remove wine from the menu.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has been on a tour of Europe, signing billions of pounds worth of business deals with different nations, after economic sanctions against the country were lifted.
He was due to dine with President Francois Hollande at an upmarket restaurant in the French capital.
Did France do the right thing by not caving or was getting rid of wine not that big of a deal? Sound off in the comments below.
