France has expressed regret over a social media post questioning the United States’ commitment to human rights, in a move expected to clear the way for its new ambassador to take up his post in Washington.
The French Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva said it regretted the message posted on X on 25 July, after France and the US took opposing positions in a UN vote.
“France and the United States recently adopted differing positions during a vote at the United Nations General Assembly,” the mission said in an English-language statement published on Friday.
“This divergence concerned a single vote and did not relate to the defence of human rights.”
The statement added that a disagreement over one vote did not undermine the close relationship between Paris and Washington.
“Differences of opinion on a single vote do not stand in the way of close dialogue with the United States and do not call into question our historic alliance, nor our ability to work together to promote peace, stability and prosperity, including within multilateral bodies,” it said.
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Washington welcomes French statement
The clarification was welcomed by the US State Department, signalling that the diplomatic dispute may now be drawing to a close.
“We take note of France’s statement and welcome it; we look forward to working with France to promote our shared values and interests,” a State Department official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The disagreement had delayed the accreditation of Aurélien Lechevallier, who is due to replace Laurent Bili as France’s ambassador in Washington.
Lechevallier currently serves as chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. His appointment had been called into question after Washington put the accreditation process on hold in response to the French mission’s original message.
The row began after the United States joined nine other countries in July in voting against the four-year renewal of Volker Türk’s mandate as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“The United States was once a model in the field of human rights. This is no longer the case,” the French mission wrote in English on X following the vote.
The US responded two days later by walking out of a UN Security Council meeting as France’s ambassador to the United Nations, Jérôme Bonnafont, began speaking. Washington used the walkout to denounce what it described as France’s “hypocritical” comments.
Path cleared for new ambassador
The dispute then extended beyond the UN, with the State Department blocking Lechevallier’s accreditation and leaving the appointment of one of France’s most senior diplomats in limbo.
Under the French system, ambassadors are appointed by the president. However, they must also receive formal approval from their host country before taking up their duties.
That approval is normally considered a routine formality between close allies such as France and the United States. The delay therefore highlighted the seriousness with which Washington regarded the French criticism.
France’s statement sought to draw a line under the episode by presenting it as an isolated disagreement rather than a broader challenge to the two countries’ historic alliance.
The US response suggests the diplomatic reset has been accepted, raising expectations that Lechevallier will now be able to proceed with his posting and begin work in Washington.
(with newswires)
