French leftist Melenchon: I am not Alexis Tsipras
French leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon condemned the stance of Greece's leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in critical talks with EU leaders in the summer of 2015 in comments made public on Tuesday ahead of the second round of French presidential elections.
"I am not Alexis Tsipras, I don't negotiate for 17 hours with people who offend me," told French daily Le Parisien.
Responding to criticism over his pledges to renegotiate EU charter treaties, Melenchon said, "I represent France. The Germans have never faced a France that says 'no' to them."
Melenchon has seen his popularity rise in recent weeks, bolstering his hopes for the presidential elections. The first round of the polls are set for April 23 to be followed by a runoff between the top two candidates on May 7 if no one gains a clear majority in the first round.
