US top diplomat on 7- nation tour
PARIS — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived on 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 countries on his schedule have congratulated Joe Biden for his victory in the US presidential race.
Pompeo discussed “global challenges” with a handful of members of a Paris think tank on Saturday.
Pompeo was an all but invisible US envoy on what may be his last official trip to France, tweeting out news of his arrival and from his private meeting with members of the Institut Montaigne, accompanied by photos.
The trip was aimed at shoring up the priorities of the outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump. It was expected to include visits to Israeli settlements in the West Bank that had 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 US election, and the unusual circumstances were likely to overshadow the issues.
Pompeo said in a tweet that he addressed “the global challenges we are facing today, from terrorism to the COVID- 19 pandemic” with Institut Montaigne representatives.
The think tank said it promotes “a balanced vision of society, in which open and competitive markets go hand in hand with equality of opportunity and social cohesion”.
Pompeo arrived in a France in lockdown to fight a second wave of the coronavirus. In contrast to the few people seated around him, he did not wear a mask.
He was scheduled to meet French Foreign Minister Jean- Yves Le Drian and President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
According to Macron’s office, the French president spoke with Biden by phone a few days ago and conveyed his desire to work together on issues such as climate change, terrorism and health.
Delicate demarche
For Pompeo and the French officials, Monday’s meetings would be a delicate demarche on tough issues.
Le Drian noted the “difficult subjects” on the table.
“For the moment, my counterpart is Mike Pompeo, until Jan 20,” Le Drian said on Friday on the French network BFMTV, referring to the date when Trump’s term ends. “He’s coming to Paris. I receive him.”
He said he plans to speak out on any accelerated withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, clearly concerned that Trump could end his presidency with such a move.
“What he should not do, in our opinion,” Le Drian said of a full withdrawal from Afghanistan. “What should not be done either in Iraq, ( we) will tell him.”
Pompeo said in a tweet before departing on his trip that “Iran’s destabilizing behavior” would be among topics of discussion.
Arriving in France, Pompeo laid out the standard diplomatic groundwork for his Paris talks, noting that France is the “oldest friend and Ally” of the US.
“The strong relationship between our countries cannot be overestimated,” he said in a tweet.
Promoting religious freedom and countering terrorism were also among topics on the table during his trip.
Both issues are keenly relevant to France.
After France, Pompeo was expected to visit Turkey, Georgia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. all of whose leaders have offered public congratulations to Biden.