The United States left a UN Security Council meeting on July 27 after the French ambassador took the floor. This action was a protest against France’s remarks comparing the US to North Korea and other authoritarian states regarding human rights votes.
Dan Negrea, Deputy Representative to the General Assembly and a senior US delegation official, criticized what he termed “insincere posturing” by Paris. “There is a member of this council who will feign moral outrage and pretend to lecture us on any topic, whether it is the very conflict we are discussing again today or even those that do not concern international peace and security, such as human rights,” Negrea stated. He added that this was the reason the US “walked out during France’s speech” at the meeting focused on the war in Ukraine.
Rare Demarche and Human Rights Vote
A demarche of this nature from the Security Council—the main UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, where both France and the US are permanent members with veto power—is quite rare.
Earlier, on July 24, the US was among ten countries that voted in the General Assembly against extending the term of Volker Türk as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. In this vote, the US aligned itself with North Korea, Russia, and Nicaragua, among others.
France and US Exchange Accusations
The French Mission to the United Nations in Geneva published an English-language post following the July 24 vote, stating: “The US was once a beacon of human rights. No more.” The post also asserted: “Today they stand alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali, and Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to them.”
In his statement on July 27, Negrea responded: “I remind them that it is the United States that remains a beacon of freedom for the world.” He added that, as such, the US “will not give them the privilege of listening to their politicized nonsense.”
French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont reacted to the US demarche by stating: “This year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. And everyone knows the role France played in this.” He also noted that France works within the UN, both in the Security Council and the General Assembly, “to preserve this institution, its independence, and its ability to act in defense of the UN Charter, human rights, and peace.”
Source: The Straits Times
