France expressed regret to the US over post about UN vote
France's Permanent Mission to the UN expressed regret over a post on X in which it criticized the US position during a UN General Assembly vote. As France 24 reports, the statement was positively received in Washington and may pave the way for the appointment of France's new ambassador to the US, Aurélien Lechevallier.
Statement by the French mission
The mission's statement said that France and the US recently took different positions during a UN General Assembly vote. It stressed that these differences concerned only the vote and not the protection of human rights.
The mission stated that public differences over a single vote do not hinder close dialogue with the US, do not call into question the two countries' historic alliance, or their ability to work together for peace, stability and prosperity, including in multilateral forums.
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Ambassadorial appointment
A US State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Washington had taken note of and appreciated France's statement and expected further cooperation in pursuit of shared values and interests.
The US State Department had delayed approval of Aurélien Lechevallier's nomination. French President Emmanuel Macron selected him as the next ambassador to Washington to replace Laurent Bili. Lechevallier currently heads the office of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
The dispute began after the July 24 vote, when the US was among 10 states that opposed extending the mandate of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at the UN General Assembly. The French mission then said that the US had previously been a beacon of human rights but no longer was. A few days later, the US representative left a UN Security Council meeting during an address by the French ambassador, protesting those comments.
