DistantNews
Support us
U.S. Walks Out of UN Meeting After France Compares It to North Korea, Russia
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Conflict & Security

U.S. Walks Out of UN Meeting After France Compares It to North Korea, Russia

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The U.S. delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting after France's ambassador spoke.
  • The U.S. criticized France's "hypocritical stance" for comparing the U.S. to North Korea and Russia.
  • The comparison was made in relation to a vote on human rights, leading to a rare diplomatic walkout.

The United States delegation staged a rare walkout from a UN Security Council meeting Monday, protesting remarks by the French ambassador that drew parallels between the U.S. and nations like North Korea and Russia. The U.S. delegation departed as the French envoy began speaking, denouncing what they called a "hypocritical stance" by Paris.

A member of this Council plays moral indignation and pretends to lecture everyone on all subjects, whether it is the conflict we are still discussing today (Ukraine) or issues unrelated to peace and security, such as human rights.

— Dan NegreaExplaining the U.S. rationale for walking out of the UN Security Council meeting.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Dan Negrea stated that a member of the Council was "playing moral indignation" and lecturing others on human rights. He specified that the French comments were linked to a vote concerning human rights issues, separate from the ongoing discussion on Ukraine. Negrea asserted that the U.S. left because of France's intervention on matters unrelated to the Council's immediate peace and security agenda.

That is why we left during France's intervention.

— Dan NegreaFurther clarifying the reason for the U.S. delegation's departure.

This diplomatic action is highly unusual within the Security Council. The U.S. delegation's departure underscores the significant tension and disagreement between the two nations over the framing and handling of human rights issues within the international forum. The incident highlights a sharp divergence in diplomatic approaches and priorities.

Such a walkout from the Council is extremely rare.

— Dan NegreaHighlighting the unusual nature of the U.S. delegation's action.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog