US envoy on French relations, Taliban and Ethiopia

US Ambassador to the the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield says her country continues to cooperate closely with France in the Indo-Pacific region and will continue to do so in the Security Council as well.

Speaking to reporters in New York, Thomas-Greenfield said, "we will continue to work with our French colleagues on areas of cooperation and address any tension in our relationship. But we don't see those tensions changing the nature of our friendship."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday evening that France is immediately recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia in a backlash over a submarine deal.

Le Drian said in a statement that the decision, on request from President Emmanuel Macron, “is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements” made by Australia and the United States.

Macron has not commented on the issue since President Joe Biden’s announcement of a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain, leading France to lose a nearly $100 billion deal to build diesel-electric submarines.

Thomas-Greenfield underscored that next week's General Assembly "must be a moment to strengthen alliances and partnerships; to come together where we have a common interest in solving big challenges."

She also said President Biden signed an executive order on Friday to increase pressure on parties to the conflict in Ethiopia.

She lamented that the parties to the conflict have for so long ignored international calls, including by the Security Council, for a negotiated ceasefire and initiate an inclusive political dialogue to resolve Ethiopia's crises.

IMAGE: AP