In an attempt to contain a diplomatic dispute that disrupted the appointment of its new ambassador to Washington, the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in Geneva expressed its “regret” for publishing a blog post in which it criticized the United States’ vote during a General Assembly meeting, in a step that is expected to pave the way for the completion of the procedures for appointing the French ambassador.
The mission said, in a statement published in English on Friday, coinciding with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, that the blog post it published on the “X” platform on July 25 questioned the United States’ commitment to human rights.
She added: “France and the United States recently took different 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.”
She stressed that “public differences of opinion on 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.”
The French position 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 told Agence France-Presse, requesting anonymity: “We took note of France’s statement, we appreciate it, and we look forward to working together to promote common values and interests.”
The US State Department had frozen approval of the appointment of Aurélien Le Chevalier, who was chosen by French President Emmanuel Macron as ambassador to Washington to succeed Laurent Bailey. Le Chevalier currently holds the position of Chief of Staff of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Although American approval to appoint the French ambassador is usually considered a formality, it has remained pending since the outbreak of the dispute between the two countries.
The spark of the crisis dates back to July 24, when the United States was one of 10 countries that voted in the United Nations General Assembly against extending Volker Türk’s term as head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, along with countries including North Korea, Russia, and Nicaragua.
The next day, the French mission wrote on the “X” platform, commenting on the strong American opposition to renewing the term of Türk, who had repeatedly criticized US policies under President Donald Trump: “The United States has been a beacon of human rights. “This is no longer the case.”
The post sparked a quick response from Washington, as the US ambassador withdrew, days later, from a UN Security Council meeting immediately after the French ambassador began delivering his speech, as an expression of his country’s protest against the French comments. Later, the US State Department blocked the approval procedures for Le Chevalier’s appointment.
