Laurent Fabius will meet this afternoon with Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

They will take stock of the critical humanitarian and security situation in Yemen as well as the challenges involved in facilitating an end to the political crisis.

Laurent Fabius will reaffirm France's support for UN mediation efforts in Yemen aimed at resolving the political crisis, on the basis of the Security Council resolutions, notably resolution 2216 (2015). He will reaffirm our attachment to the swift holding of a new round of talks, in which the parties must engage in good faith.

Syria – Siege in Madaya

France utterly condemns the siege being imposed by the Syrian regime on the town of Madaya, near the Lebanese border. While the 40,000 inhabitants of the town are starving to death, the regime is refusing access to the town by any humanitarian organizations. This situation is untenable and unacceptable.

France calls for an immediate end to this siege and for the provision of emergency access for humanitarian assistance in Madaya and all besieged areas in Syria, in accordance with UNSCR 2254 and UNSCR 2258.

Economic diplomacy – French participation in the global consumer electronics tradeshow in Las Vegas (January 6 to 9, 2016)

The 49th edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, the world's largest consumer electronics tradeshow open to the general public, opens today in Las Vegas. This tradeshow enables companies from all over the world to raise their profile among the general public, investors and distributors.

Our country has the world's second largest delegation after the United States: 190 innovative French start-up companies will attend the event this year, compared with 120 in 2015. These include 22 fledgling companies that will present their activities at the French Tech pavilion hosted by Business France.

This exceptional mobilization is a major asset in terms of promoting France's attractiveness.