The US is delaying the appointment of a new French ambassador: what happened
Washington is delaying the approval of Aurélien Lechevallier as France’s ambassador to the United States amid a diplomatic dispute over human rights. Paris has not yet received a final refusal.
An ambassador’s appointment requires the prior consent of the host country — an agrément. US authorities have not yet issued it to the French diplomat, who is set to replace current Ambassador Laurent Bili and take up his post in Washington in September.
The dispute escalated after a vote on the mandate renewal of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The US opposed his reelection, whereas France supported his candidacy.
After the vote, the French representation at the UN in Geneva stated that the United States had lost its former leadership in the field of human rights and had found itself in the same group as Russia, North Korea and several other countries. The State Department called these remarks irresponsible and disrespectful.
Later, American diplomats left a UN Security Council meeting during the French representative’s speech. The US delegation demanded that Paris drop its critical rhetoric.
Lechevallier served as chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and previously worked as ambassador to South Africa. He also held positions in the administration of President Emmanuel Macron and already served at the French Embassy in Washington.
The delay in the agrément is considered an unusually tough diplomatic signal among allies. French representatives continue negotiations with the US side, but the timing of a final decision remains unknown.
