Pompeo in France to start Europe, Mideast trip

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Saturday in Paris, at the start of a seven-country tour of Europe and the Middle East, travels that were certain to be awkward since all the nations on his schedule have congratulated Joe Biden for his victory in the US presidential race.

The trip is aimed at shoring up the priorities of the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump.

It will include visits to Israeli settlements in the West Bank that have been avoided by previous secretaries of state.

The United States’ top diplomat - as well as its president and much of his Republican Party - have not accepted the results of the American election, and the unusual circumstances will likely overshadow the issues.