US clears new French ambassador after diplomatic row over UN vote
The US State Department has approved Aurelien Lechevallier as France's new ambassador to Washington, ending a weeks-long deadlock. The dispute stemmed from French UN mission criticism of a US vote at the General Assembly.
A US State Department official told AFP on Tuesday that France's new ambassador to the United States will now be able to take up his post, ending a diplomatic deadlock that lasted several weeks. Since late July, Washington had held up approval of Aurelien Lechevallier, French President Emmanuel Macron's pick to succeed Laurent Bili as France's envoy to the US.
Lechevallier, currently chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, is expected to arrive in Washington in the coming weeks. Approval of a foreign ambassador's credentials is normally a formality, but the process stalled amid a dispute triggered by criticism from France's mission to the United Nations over a US vote at a UN General Assembly session.
Origins of the dispute
On July 24, the United States was among ten countries voting against extending the term of UN human rights chief Volker Turk, joining North Korea, Russia and Nicaragua in opposition. The French UN mission posted on X that the US was no longer a beacon of human rights, after Washington strongly opposed another term for Turk, who had repeatedly criticized US policy under President Donald Trump.
The remark drew swift backlash from Washington. Days later, the US representative walked out of a UN Security Council meeting in protest when France's ambassador began speaking. Over the following weekend, the French UN mission issued an apology for its criticism, which was well received in Washington and cleared the way for the ambassador's appointment to proceed.
