U.S. diplomats walk out of U.N. meeting over fight with France

by · UPI

July 28 (UPI) -- U.S. diplomats walked out of a United Nations Security Council meeting Monday over a spat with the French delegation over the United States' human rights record.

In a vote on Friday, the United States voted against extending the term of Austrian Volker Türk as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

On Saturday, the French delegation to Geneva posted on X: "The U.S. 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."

The U.S. Mission to the U.N. responded: "The U.N. human rights system has been losing credibility for decades. Volker Türk led it to its deathbed. Today's vote kicked the bucket."

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz replied on X: "It is disappointing -- though not surprising -- that this is how France deflects on its shameful vote to coddle some of the worst human rights abusers."

"France voted for someone who has been lecturing, free, sovereign democracies like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel, while cozying up to the world's worst oppressors," Waltz posted, without explaining what he meant.

The walkout was during remarks by French Ambassador to the U.N. Jérôme Bonnafont.

After the U.S. delegation walked out, Deputy U.S. Ambassador the U.N. Dan Negrea came back to the meeting and addressed the group.

"This disingenuous grandstanding is tiresome, but we have tolerated it out of a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect as E5 members," Negrea said. "We have stood by this member state through every conflict in which their freedoms have been imperiled, and today I remind them that it is the United States that remains the beacon of liberty for the world. As such, we will not be affording them the benefit of listening to their politicized drivel until they renounce their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric and behave in a manner commensurate with their seat on this counsel."

Bonnafont then said that France has been a supportive ally to the United States.

"We this year celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States and everyone is all too aware that France took part in those celebrations," Bonnafont said.

Türk's second term was passed with 144 states in favor, 10 voting against and 13 abstentions.

Read More