“I am not Alexis Tsipras; I don’t negotiate for 17 hours with people that insult me,” was the quote attributed to French presidential contender Jean-Luc Mélenchon by the French daily Le Parisien.
The founder of the leftist La France Insoumise (Unbowed France) party reportedly made the statement, which was included in an interview posted on the paper’s internet site, in reply to sharp criticism aimed at him over a pledge to renegotiate the primary treaties of the European Union.
Critics in France of the radical Mélenchon’s promises claim any such attempt to renegotiate the founding tenants of the Union would clash with Berlin’s opposition.
“The Germans have never seen a France against them that says no,” was his statement ahead of the first round of French presidential election.
