BRUSSELS — France has defused a social media row with the U.S. after an online spat over voting in the U.N. General Assembly reportedly led to the delay in the confirmation of Paris’ envoy to Washington. In a statement on Friday reported by AFP, France’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva made amends for an online remark it posted in July questioning Washington’s commitment to human rights.
This divergence concerned a single vote and did not relate to the defense of human rights,” the statement read. State Department responded positively to the apology. The appointment of French diplomat Aurélien Lechevallier as ambassador to the U.S. was blocked by Washington as a result of the spat, France24 reports.
The dispute began in July when the French mission to the U.N. in Geneva posted on X that “The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore.” This comment came after the U.S. voted against renewing the term of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. Two days later after the French mission’s social media post, the U.S. walked out of a U.N. security council meeting when France’s representative began to speak.
The apology from France and acceptance from the U.S. paves the way for Lechevallier to be confirmed for the Washington role. Currently chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Lechevallier is set to replace Laurent Bili as France’s U.S. envoy. It’s not the first time the two countries have had a diplomatic spat.
Last year, France summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner after he published an open letter accusing President Emmanuel Macron’s government of not doing enough to combat rising antisemitism in his country.
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