Paris issued a rare apology to Washington on Tuesday in an effort to defuse a diplomatic row and unblock the appointment of France’s new U.S. ambassador.
Aurélien Lechevallier, personally chosen by President Emmanuel Macron, is now clear to assume his post following the French surrender and the dispute’s resolution.
Since late July the State Department has stalled the approval of Macron’s man as it awaited a backdown from France.
The dispute began on July 24 when the United States joined 10 countries to vote in the U.N. General Assembly against extending Volker Turk’s term as U.N. human rights chief, as France24 reports.
“The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,” the French mission wrote in a post on X after Washington strongly opposed another term by Turk, who has repeatedly questioned U.S. policies under President Donald Trump.
The criticism was met with immediate backlash and the U.S. representative walking out of a U.N. Security Council meeting days later when France’s ambassador took the floor, in protest at the comments.
France’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva has now made amends for the online remark questioning Washington’s commitment to international human rights.
Aurélien Lechevallier, personally chosen by President Emmanuel Macron as the next French Ambassador to the U.S., is now clear to take up his position after Paris issued a rare apology to Washington. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)
“France and the United States recently adopted divergent positions during a vote at the United Nations General Assembly. This divergence concerned a single vote and did not relate to the defense of human rights,” the statement read.
“Differences in public opinion on a vote do not impede 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 forums.”
AFP reports the U.S. State Department responded positively to the move.
“We take note of France’s statement and appreciate it; we look forward to collaborating with them to promote our common values and interests,” a State Department official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Currently chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Lechevallier is now clear to replace Laurent Bili as France’s new U.S. envoy.