France intervened to contain a diplomatic crisis with the United States, after a publication by its mission to the United Nations angered Washington. The crisis ended with Paris offering an apology to the American side.
The French Permanent Mission to the United Nations expressed its “regret” for publishing a blog post criticizing a vote by the United States during the General Assembly meeting, in a step that is expected to contribute to facilitating the approval of the appointment of the new French ambassador to Washington.
In a statement on Friday, the mission expressed its “regret” over the post published on July 25 on the “X” platform, and questioned the United States’ commitment to human rights.
On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the mission wrote in its statement published on its website in English: “France and the United States recently took differing positions regarding a vote in the United Nations General Assembly. This discrepancy was limited to only one vote, and was not related to defending human rights.”
He added: “Public differences of opinion over a single vote do not stand in the way of close dialogue with the United States, nor do they call into question our historic alliance or our ability to work together to promote peace, stability, and prosperity, including within multilateral forums.”
This admission of error was welcomed in Washington, after the procedures for appointing the new French ambassador to the United States were suspended due to this dispute.
A US State Department official, who requested to remain anonymous, expressed his country’s appreciation for the French statement, telling Agence France-Presse: “We took note of France’s statement, we appreciate it, and we look forward to working together to promote common values and interests.”
The American position came after the US State Department froze approval of the appointment of Aurélien Le Chevalier as French ambassador to Washington, the diplomat chosen by President Emmanuel Macron to succeed Ambassador Laurent Bailey.
Le Chevalier currently holds the position of Chief of Staff of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, while Washington’s approval of the appointment of the French ambassador is usually considered a formal procedure, before this time it turned into a card in a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
The crisis dates back to July 24, when the United States, along with nine other countries, voted against extending Volker Türk’s term as head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a vote in which Washington joined countries including Russia, North Korea, and Nicaragua.
Following the vote, the French mission to the United Nations published a comment on the “X” platform in which it said that the United States was a “beacon of human rights,” adding: “This is no longer the case.”
The post sparked a quick reaction from the American side, as the American ambassador withdrew from a UN Security Council meeting days later, in protest against the French ambassador’s statements during the session.
The dispute did not stop at the limits of statements, as the US State Department later obstructed the procedures for approving the appointment of Le Chevalier as ambassador to Washington, in an unusual step that reflected the extent of tension between the two allies.
