France, US in talks over stalled French envoy appointment: Sources

Paris and Washington are seeking to resolve a stalemate in the appointment of a new French ambassador to the United States after a diplomatic spat, two sources following the case said on Wednesday.

The dispute started when the French mission at the United Nations in Geneva compared the United States to North Korea and other authoritarian states.

On July 24, the United States was one of 10 countries to vote in the General Assembly against extending Volker Turk’s term as UN human rights chief, joining the ranks of North Korea, Russia and Nicaragua, among others.

“The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,” the French mission wrote after the United States strongly opposed another term by Turk, who has repeatedly questioned US policies under Donald Trump.

“Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it,” it added.

The US representative walked out of a UN Security Council meeting on July 27 when France’s ambassador took the floor, in protest at the comments on X, describing France as a member “that will feign moral outrage.”

The US State Department then blocked the approval of Aurelien Lechevallier, President Emmanuel Macron’s appointee as next French ambassador to Washington.

Lechevallier is currently French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s chief of staff.

A French diplomatic source said the X post was “unfortunate” as it came at a time when relations between France and the United States were excellent, following Trump attending a G7 summit in France and dining with Macron at the Palace of Versailles in June.

Both sources following the case, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said they hoped the matter could be resolved swiftly.US approval of a choice of French envoy is usually a formality, unlike in other countries such as Russia or Iran with which France has more strained relations.