French ambassador to US takes post after approval delay

France's new ambassador to the United States, Aurelien Lechevallier, has taken up his post after a delay linked to a diplomatic dispute between Paris and Washington, the French embassy said Thursday.

The embassy said Lechevallier, former chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, presented a copy of his credentials on Tuesday to Monica Crowley, the United States chief of protocol, marking the start of his mission.

In video messages posted by the embassy on X, Lechevallier said he was honored to represent France in the US and wanted to help strengthen ties between the two countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron selected Lechevallier over the summer to replace Laurent Bili. His appointment was delayed after France's UN mission criticised the United States over its July 24 vote against extending Volker Turk's term as UN human rights chief. The United States was one of 10 countries to vote against the extension.

After the vote, the French mission wrote on X: "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore." Washington objected, and the US representative later walked out of a UN Security Council meeting when France's ambassador began speaking, in protest at the comments.

The French UN mission apologised in September.