EditFrance apologises for human rights criticism that sparked U.S. walkout
Sources said the U.S. was weighing blocking France's choice of its next ambassador in Washington
France’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva has said it “regrets” criticising the United States over human rights in a social media post that triggered a diplomatic dispute which has delayed the arrival of a new French ambassador in Washington.
In a post on X in late July, the French mission had criticised the United States for joining countries including Russia and North Korea in voting against extending the term of U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk.
The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it.#AmericaAlone https://t.co/GLNMsYEH9n pic.twitter.com/UTVvljTMeO
— France ONU Genève 🇫🇷🇺🇳 (@FranceONUGeneve) July 25, 2026
The message angered Washington, which responded by walking out of a U.N. Security Council meeting while France was speaking. Sources said the U.S. was also weighing blocking France’s choice of its next ambassador in Washington.
“The Permanent Mission of France to the U.N. in Geneva regrets the 25 July 2026 message posted on X that called into question the U.S. commitment to human rights,” the mission said.
The difference in views “concerned one vote, and not the defence of human rights,” it said in a statement in English published on its website.
France’s foreign affairs ministry declined to comment further.
“We note and appreciate France’s statement, and look forward to working together to further shared values and interests,” a State Department official said in response to a Reuters request for comment.
The apology, earlier reported by French daily Le Monde, may open the way for France’s nominee as next ambassador to the U.S., Aurelien Lechevallier, to be approved by Washington.
Lechevallier, a former Elysee aide, is currently Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s chief of staff. Paris had aimed to have him in post by September, a source has said.
With Reuters
Caption: Candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General (L-R) Michelle Bachelet, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, and Macky Sall participate in the ‘UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General’ in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 23 July 2026. EPA/OLGA FEDOROVA
Updated: September 14, 2026 - 05:25
